The Love of Destruction
by DragonSlayerArts
Summary: Perseus is the first god, born of Ouranos' dark heart, and brother to Aphrodite. Cursed with domains which he never wished to control, Perseus is thrust into a world of hypocrisy and discrimination. But when the time comes, will he and a certain auburn-haired goddess step up to the world's challenges? Or will the earth crumble beneath the darkness of its only hope? God!Percy AU.
1. Prologue: Origins

Hello Fanfiction goers! I've always wanted to write a Pertemis story with god!Percy, so here it is! Sorry for any awkward wordings. And as always, feedback is much appreciated! Thanks! ~ DSA

This story begins in ancient Greece and will end in the PJO era. Yeah, I hope this first chapter's not too boring.

Disclaimer: The Percy Jackson series is property of Rick Riordan and in no way, shape, or form does it belong to me.

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**Prologue: Origins**

It began with Gaea, the Earth, and Ouranos, the Sky. Late in the age when the Protogenoi ruled Chaos' creation, they bore their first children: three of the hundred-handed Hecatonchires and three one-eyed Cyclops. However, upon beholding his children's monstrous forms, a disgusted Father Heaven Ouranos pitched them into the deepest, darkest reaches of Tartarus, the Great Pit.

The grieving Mother Earth then brought forth her seventh child Kronos, the first Titan. In her fury at her husband, she kindled within that son a burning hatred of his father, training him for the final blow against the Sky, raising him with whispered promises of revenge and power. Upon his coming of age, the Titan finally set out down the road his mother had paved for him.

The skillfully wielded scythe was swung, and the end of an immortal life was nigh. From Father Heaven's ichor came the Giants and the Furies. The chopped up pieces of Ouranos rained upon the oceans, and from the frothing foam rose the first gods. The Heart of the Sky bore the eldest god Perseus, god of hatred and destruction, while the Loins of Father Heaven brought forth Aphrodite, goddess of love and beauty.

Different as the parts they originated from, such were Perseus and Aphrodite. As Aphrodite drifted east to rest upon the sand of Cyprus, Perseus was swept westward to run ashore upon the great island of Delos.

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A young man, draped in a cloak of darkness, rose unsteadily to his feet on the sandy shores of Delos. His eyes, which were as blue as the sea he was born from, scanned the length of the beach, taking note of the forests sprawled over the vast majority of the island. He took a step forward, closed his eyes, and stood relishing the feel of the grains of sand between his toes and the salty sea breeze blowing through his midnight black hair. The cries of the forest creatures, the beating of the waves upon the shore, the rusting of leaves high in the branches of the forest trees, all this activity rejuvenated the man.

The sensation of living was so refreshing, but some instinct told him that it was in his nature to destroy, to steal away that life which he was currently basking in. He ignored the feeling as he plowed forward into the dense foliage, eyes still firmly shut, searching for something even he himself knew not. Wild animals peered at him from the underbrush, instinctively keeping their distance. This was a new kind of higher power, and he was not to be bothered.

As the man walked briskly through the tangle of plant matter, the thrum of life rushed through his veins with increasing intensity. Upon reaching a clearing deep within the forest, he was forced to a halt by the sudden appearance of three beings who materialized in a flash of blinding white light. "Who are you to disturb the peace and life of this island?" he demanded. An unpleasant sensation bubbled up in his chest as the feeling of calm and his connection to the living things of Delos vanished in that one instant.

An old woman's voice cackled, "You are one to talk about peace and life in such a reverent way, godling. Open your eyes. Look around. Recognize the irony in your words, Perseus, god of _destruction_."

At the woman's words, the newly named Perseus opened his now-glowing blood red orbs and absorbed the sight of the clearing around them, expecting to find the lush green trees and flitting of wildlife all around him. But to his horror, he realized what he now viewed was the utter decimation of life as far as the eye could see. The plants had withered and turned an ash-gray color, as did the once-fertile soil. The carcasses of birds and animals littered the ground, under a thick layer of black dust which used to be the fresh green leaves of the thousand-year-old trees that, just moments before, had stood proud and tall as they saluted the sky, but now had been reduced to mere skeletons of their previous grandeur.

Perseus gaped at horrendous sight, feeling the bile rise to his throat, unable to comprehend what had just occurred, "D-did… _I_… do that? How?"

"Think, godling. What was that rejuvenating energy that was flowing through your veins? Why would we, the Fates, appear before you and force you to open your eyes?" another one of the Fates chided.

Perseus paled, and his eyes returned to their original sea blue as his mind came to the only conclusion possible, "I _sucked the life _out of this island?" He directed his gaze for the first time to the controllers of the threads of life. They were three terrifying old sisters. Clotho, the Spinner, was passing a length of thread to Lachesis, the Alloter, who stood next to her, examining every inch of the finished thread. Atropos, the Inevitable, waited on the other side of Lachesis, quietly fingering her shears.

"This one is perceptive," Atropos said and gestured to the ground beside her to a pile of short pieces of string, "Those were the life-strings of the animals and plants you killed. Know it well. That is the power that you wield: total destruction in any shape possible."

"As god of destruction and hatred, the power to ruin anything both physically and emotionally is right at your fingertips," Lachesis gestured around at the decimated landscape around them for emphasis.

Perseus' eyes were wide in fear, both of the old women and himself. He was a monster. There was no other word to describe what he was. Even monster was not a strong enough word to apply to the sheer evilness of his abilities and actions.

"Quiet those thoughts, child. They will do you no good. You did not intentionally kill these plants and animals. It is not what kind of powers you have, but how you use the power that counts," Clotho chided, then leaned toward his ear and whispered, "I can see you have a pure heart, godling. Rest assured I have woven several extra qualities into your thread to aid you in your journey to greatness. Use them well."

"We cannot linger much longer, Sisters," Lachesis warned, fading away even as she uttered her statement, "Farewell, Perseus, the first god. God of destruction, hatred, loyalty, and abstinence. Protector of innocence…"

With a final flash of blinding light, the sister Fates vanished to lands unknown, leaving Perseus in the desolate wasteland, finally identifying the object of his search, something that man, to this very day, still works tirelessly to uncover. It was at this moment, in the midst of death and destruction, that Perseus' heart glowed with hope, and he began his eternal journey to discovering his true self.

With that goal in mind, Perseus steeled his heart and continued onward through the ashen trunks of the dead trees. Something in his gut was telling him to find the nearest water source. Perseus stumbled upon a small stream a short way away from the clearing and sat on the bank, contemplating what to do. The instinct flared once more and told him to dip a hand into the water.

Perseus did so, submerging his fingertips into the soothing, cool liquid. As soon as his hand was underwater, he began to understand the situation. All life stemmed from water, and the water in the stream would slowly diffuse through the ecosystem, through the soil, sand, and air to finally arrive in the roots of a tree or the blood of an animal, giving or maintaining life to those in need of it.

Reaching deep within himself, Perseus gathered all the life energy he had subconsciously stolen from the island and channeled it through his fingertips and out to the water. He immediately noticed a change in the environment; the soil once again darkened in fertility and small saplings began sprouting from the newly enriched earth. The young god didn't know how long he sat on the bank of that little stream, watching the life slowly return to the island, trying to channel all the stolen energy back to the earth, and defying the purpose he was naturally endowed with. All he knew was that he was a living paradox, and that in itself was enough for him to double his efforts.

As Perseus depleted his reserves of stolen life energy, he began to reach into his own resources and continued to feed energy into the stream. He never noticed his fatal mistake until he had delved to a point from which there was no return. As he felt his life force slowly slipping away, it was all Perseus could do to slow the flow of energy. When at last he was about to end the struggle and give in to the intense pull of the water, the flow was stopped. With his last burst of strength, Perseus contained his remaining life force, counteracting any want to give or receive it.

The last action breached the limits of his capabilities, and Perseus found himself tensing up as he slipped away to the rolling black waves of the subconscious. And there he would remain, for centuries upon centuries, until the soft coaxing of the Moirai roused him to wake, face to face with an auburn-haired girl and her glowing silver eyes.


	2. Blue Eyes, Silver Eyes

Hello Fanfictioners! I'm here with a new chapter of The Love of Destruction! Thank you guys so much for all the support you've given me for this story! I'm looking to post a new chapter every week or so. Plus, I got some inspiration for this chapter from the actual books, so please don't go too hard on little old uncreative me XD. Anyway, on to the story! ~ DSA

Disclaimer: As much as I wished I did, I do not own Percy Jackson and the Olympians. That right belongs to Rick Riordan. :)

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**Blue Eyes, Silver Eyes**

**500 Years Later…**

_Freedom, joy, exhilaration, these are the emotional associations of a hunter to a hunt. Hunger, satisfaction, and survival, these are the motives for a hunt. The rustle of leaves, the twang of a bow, the gasp of the dying breath, such are the sounds of a hunt._

There was a flash of silver and a thud. The keen senses of the stag detected the danger lurking in the trees, triggering its flight into the underbrush on the banks of the stream. A sigh was not much later in coming as the Huntress appeared in all her glory, come to retrieve her stray arrow.

With eyes of the same flashing silver as her bow, the goddess glared viciously upon the tree into which her weapon had been impaled, as though a single hard look may be enough to shatter the offending obstacle to pieces. Artemis, daughter of mighty Zeus and goddess of the moon and hunt, had missed her target. She had recited her lesson word for word in her mind; she had memorized the teachings and established a bond between the hunter and her hunting ground. Yet she had failed.

Artemis grumbled angrily to herself as her deft fingers, molded for excellence in the field of archery, nimbly plucked the feathered projectile from the rough bark of the pine tree, practiced hands stucking the shaft back into the quiver from whence it came. The goddess then reached toward the tree to heal the blemish her arrow had inflicted upon the tree trunk's gnarled, yet relatively untarnished surface.

As the tip of her fingers gently brushed against the bark, Artemis recoiled in shock at the energy held in this particular pine. Unlike regular trees and plants, which channel energy in and out of themselves constantly, this tree was essentially acting as a container to a vast supply of magical, godly power. It appeared to have been building up for centuries, and it seems that it was close to breaking the confines into which it had been cast. The tree was almost vibrating with the sheer power it engulfed.

As the seconds winged by, Artemis could feel the power growing, and with a violent red energy wave that rippled around the earth, the tree... was a tree no more. The young goddess, who managed to erect a shield about herself, looked on at the glowing pine in curiosity, tempted to get closer and touch it, but instinct reined her in. This was the awakening of a deity, and the effects were often violent and unpredictable.

Within the minute, the blood-red light had dissipated and now mellowed out to a much more pleasant blue color, such that was only found in the great sea surrounding the island of Delos. It was at this point that the dormant powers of the god began to awaken and morph the body in which it resided.

Artemis watched on, spellbound as the leaves and branches slowly disintegrated into the air. Little by little, the pine disappeared, turning into a dull, grey ash and drifting off in the wind. At last, the decomposition slowed as it reached the base of the tree. The top layer of wood was slowly devoured by the awakening power, slowly revealing first the hem of a dark cloak, a bare foot, a white chiton underneath the shadowy cloak, a strong hand digging partially into the soil, and so on. At last, the hair was uncovered, locks of midnight black. The sharp, defined, yet slightly rugged facial features were next to be revealed, closely followed by the other hand which was resting loosely in the stream.

In moments, the ancient pine had transformed into the unconscious form of a man, no… deity, of whom the world had never known. Or so Artemis assumed. She had never left her island home of Delos in the three years she had been there. As the goddess beheld the man, who looked to be of 20 human years, a most random and disturbing thought surfaced to the front of her mind, _He is rather handsome._

She cringed as she comprehended what her mind was thinking. No, it could not be. Artemis had never given any thought to men in her entire existence. Why would she start now? As the goddess was engaging in an internal debate, the man gloriously sprawled upon the ground stirred in his dreams.

"Gods… Titans… Kronos, Brother, no! No… Zeus, hold your fire… my brother is not… bad…" he mumbled restlessly. Artemis gasped at the implications. This man was a brother of and had witnessed the defeat of Kronos, the Titan King. That only viable conclusion was that this deity was a titan as well, yet as Artemis recalled the surge of magical power within the tree, she realized that the power she felt then was identical to the kind within herself and her brother. The power her titaness mother Leto possessed was very different, much vaster yet more primitive and untamed.

The man suddenly began to thrash around, yelling incomprehensibly. Artemis could do nothing but watch sadly as the man relived or witnessed the death of a family member. As the dream seemed to subside, the thrashing stopped, allowing Artemis to get closer to the god lying upon the ground.

Here she encountered another obstacle. She was unable to pick the man up and take him to her home on the far side of the wood. At the moment, Artemis was in her 18-year-old human form, and as a young and inexperienced godling, she was unable to change it at will. Thus, she was incapable of picking up and subsequently moving a 20-year-old man. Leto had deemed Artemis and her brother to be too young to learn teleportation, so that was also out of the question. Artemis was contemplating shooting the god in hopes he would wake up, and she almost instigated the plan had not a rustling sound interrupted her train of thought, and out stumbled her twin brother from the undergrowth.

"Sister! Are you all right?" a teenage boy called, picking leaves out of his golden blond hair.

"Apollo, you navigate the forest with the grace of a bull," Artemis stated matter-of-factly as she scowled at her brother, "And I am perfectly fine."

"Why did you not return earlier? Mother was worried sick!" It was at this point that the goddess' eyes flicked upward, registering for the first time the blazing orange orb that was hanging low upon the backdrop of sky. Apollo's face was adorned with a frown as he eyed his sister, who was almost obsessively punctual normally, suspiciously. His gaze then began wandering around the bank, finally coming to rest upon the static form of the strange man next to the water, lying not three feet away from his sister. "Who is that? Get away from him, Artemis!"

Apollo pulled his sister behind him, shielding her from the potential danger. When he noticed the man was obviously unconscious, Apollo relaxed slightly and turned to face his sister, "What is going on here?"

"I can take care of myself, Apollo. However, I was hunting, and my arrow hit a pine tree. Then the tree morphed into this form right after I pulled the shaft out. I believe he is an unknown god," Artemis summed the situation up, voice laced with wonder, not seeming to believe the words herself.

Apollo directed his sky blue gaze toward her incredulously, "I'm sorry? Artemis, are you sick? Are you hurt?" He stretched out a hand to feel her forehead, only to have it batted away by his irate sister.

"I am not crazy! If you do not believe me, fine. But we have to take him back home and let mother take a look at him. Now help me move him!" Artemis growled in frustration, taking hold of one arm and looking to her dumbfounded brother for help.

Suddenly, the god shifted in his sleep. This was not the nightmare plagued stirring, rather it was the stirring of someone waking from a deep sleep.

Artemis' eyes turned back to the man, almost in slow motion. Her gaze and that of the strange god locked agonizingly slowly. And in that instant, time returned to normal as she stared into beautiful sea blue irises, inside which she could see her own silver orbs reflected. There was a jolt of metaphorical electricity through Artemis as their eyes met, shifting blue to her own glinting silver.

Then Artemis, confused and scared, yet strangely drawn to the man before her, uttered the first coherent sentence she could think of:

"You drool in your sleep."


	3. A Connection of Emotions

Hey hey! I'm back with a new chapter. Woo! Thank you guys again for all the support and, as always, don't forget to read and review! Enjoy! ~ DSA

Diclaimer: PJO and HOO belong to Rick Riordan. I own nothing!

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**A Connection of Emotions**

"You drool in your sleep."

As soon as the words tumbled out of the auburn-haired girl's mouth, she turned bright red and began fumbling for something to remedy the situation. Her brother snickered silently behind her, doing nothing to aid his blushing sibling.

"Do not worry, Artemis. I take no offense; although, it is nice to know for future reference," Perseus nodded sagely as he rose to his feet for the first time in half a millennium.

Once he deemed himself well enough balanced, Perseus briskly dusted off his clothing and looked up, only to find Artemis backpedaling furiously, face a mask of suspicion.

"What? What is it? Do I have something in my teeth?" Perseus asked, gesturing to his blindingly white teeth as he glanced questioningly to the wary twins.

The Twin Archers remained stoic and ignored the failed attempt at humor. "How do you know my name?" Artemis inquired, senses on high alert, her hunting instinct preparing her to flee or fight at the drop of a drachma.

"The Fates told me," Perseus stated simply after much deliberation; the slightest misstep in phrasing could spell disaster if he wished to ever speak to these godlings again. And since the twins offered his first direct interaction with other sentient beings in 500 years, Perseus desperately hoped to not skew the younger gods' opinions of him. Yet, those blessed Fates seemed unwilling to make the task easy, based on the following response.

"You are lying," Apollo interjected, brows furrowed in concentration as he analyzed Perseus' words critically.

"Am I?" the other god paled before jerking an eyebrow challengingly, "Either you need to rephrase, or your powers require some fine-tuning, Apollo."

Apollo scowled and clenched his fists, "You are only speaking partial truth. Tells us the whole story and answer our questions. I will know if you dare speak falsehoods."

"Hmm," Perseus mumbled noncommittally and leaned casually on a nearby tree, "Would you believe me if I told you?"

Artemis growled in frustration, her curiosity increasing overwhelmingly, "Just tell us! Selene will have finished her duties at this rate!"

"Yes, I do believe so. All right, children, pay close attention."

"We're not that much younger than you!" Apollo snapped.

"You have no idea how much older I really am, despite my appearance now. The tree form slows physical aging, but I will explain in a minute," Perseus said.

Apollo scoffed, "How old could you really be?" Artemis nodded stoically from beside him.

"500 years old, give or take," the oldest god drawled nonchalantly; he took much pleasure in the gaping expressions adorning the younger deities' faces, "I am the eldest god! Older than even your father, Zeus!"

The Twin Archers were speechless. Perseus gazed smugly at the siblings and continued, "I am Perseus, Son of Ouranos, born from his heart as the goddess Aphrodite appeared from his genitals. I made a… mistake all those centuries ago, and my powers sealed me in a tree form. While I was drifting in my subconscious, I could still hear all that occurred, and the Fates kept me up-to-date until it was time for my awakening. I witnessed your births. I was present for all of your adventures, from your youth to this very day, protecting you and aiding you. You could say I was your best imaginary friend. And I must admit, you two provided quite the entertainment."

"So you were spying on us from the day we were born!" Artemis shrieked, highly unsettled by that revelation.

"Yes, but not by choice. The Fates forced me to absorb all information of the earth, so I essentially spied on everybody. Besides who caught you when you fell out of that tree, Artemis?" Perseus winked, watching the goddess' ears redden, "And who dragged you, Apollo, from the surf when you ventured too far out to sea? You see, I was here, but I was your guardian. My power extended across the island, so I could intervene in any way I saw fit."

Artemis nodded and looked down, face flushing a deeper shade of red for some unknown reason. "Why did you awaken?" she mumbled.

"Because the Fates declared that it was time," Perseus responded simply, "They said it was time for me to achieve my goal."

"And that would be?" Apollo prodded.

"Mine is a journey for self-discovery. What might be yours, godling?"

Apollo's expression darkened, and the atmosphere noticeably condensed. Perseus began feeling power rush into him, similar to that from long ago, yet darker and more erratic. And it terrified him.

"My aim… my aim is to kill Python," the younger god whispered, his voice a mask deadly calm. Perseus felt the tension slowly building, the dark energy pouring into him in increasing amounts. The eldest god finally identified the source: hatred.

"S-Stop…" Perseus pleaded, staggering backward as his irises began to turn red, "please."

"Correction, my true goal is to destroy him!" Apollo continued obliviously, his anger lashing out, much like the serpent he was hell-bent on sending to Hades' realm. The intense hatred crashed down onto Perseus, making his newly awakened powers fluctuate unstably as it struggled to contain the flood of new power being introduced so brutally.

"He was the one who plagued Mother! He forced her from the world!" Perseus sank to one knee, clutching his head in pain. Artemis began to run over to help, but Perseus stopped her in her tracks with a wave of his hand. His godly power was overflowing its bounds, and the only way to compensate was to let it out again. Perseus had subconsciously redirected his powers to Artemis, trapping her under the force of the hatred. Thus, they shared the load, which was continuously growing as Apollo ranted, the young god's passion on the subject only fueling the hatred with which it was associated.

"Apollo… Shut up," Artemis ground out as she was forced to all fours alongside Perseus.

But Apollo clamored on, blind and deaf to everything around him. His senses dulled by the hatred consuming his heart.

The decision was Perseus' now. He knew Apollo was too far gone as the emotions he had bottled up for years came spilling forth, and Artemis would soon break under the force of her brother's hatred.

Mustering up the courage, Perseus somehow contained the outpour of energy to Artemis, redirecting the flow back into himself and freeing the goddess from her burden. As he did so, the pain and pressure doubled. He began seeing dark spots, and the sensation of suffocation descended over his body. Perseus lifted his blood-red eyes to meet Artemis' silver ones and, with the last of his breath, gasped, "Erect a shield!" before everything exploded.

As the smoke cleared, Perseus slowly clambered to his feet, looking around, expecting to see the landscape once again barren. Fortunately, it seems that Artemis had managed to raise a rather resistant dome around Perseus, isolating most of the explosion, but the power was obviously too much to handle for a young goddess such as herself. A trickle of power had escaped the shield, creating a shockwave that had knocked the exhausted godlings unconscious and incinerated some of the surrounding shrubbery.

Perseus slowly examined his work, the sense of guilt and self-loathing rising in his chest once more. He must escape; he could not risk another incident such as this. As he turned away from the wreckage, a splash of auburn and blond crossed his vision. His eyes slowly focused on the two godlings collapsed on the ground, as he pondered his next move. He could leave them there and have their mother worry through the night, or he could take them home and risk discovery. Deciding on the second course of action, Perseus bore the archer twins from the ground, draped an arm from each around one of his shoulders, and towed the dead weights through the woods in the direction of their humble little hut.

As the twins' home came into view, Perseus quickly disguised himself as a giant eagle and flew the godlings to their door. The tense face of Leto appeared through the window, and she looked on in relief and amazement as the large bird dropped her unconscious children off gently. She rapidly bustled out to check on her children's wellbeing as the mysterious eagle soared through the far-reaching heavens, away from his home and his only friends in this cruel, harsh world.


	4. A Battle Long Forgotten

**Hello all, long time no see! I've re-uploaded this chapter because I reread the original and really did not like it. Anyway, on with the story!**

**Disclaimer: All rights to PJO and HoO go to Rick Riordan.**

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**A Battle Long Forgotten**

**12****th** **Century B.C.: Trojan War Era**

"Such imbeciles tread upon this earth, ungrateful fools," a hooded figure murmured as he watched the war waging below him. A barely audible sigh escaped his lips; glowing, blood red eyes flashed beneath his hood; the world shuddered with such a condescending declaration and such an ominous exhalation.

"You pray to me now, sycophants. How you spite me so. Where have those cruel curses departed? It was just a few years past that my name was but a blemish in your miserable lives. I am no god of victory, and I refuse to grant what I am not at liberty to give." Perseus stood from his isolated place perched on the Trojan wall, scanning the war-torn landscape as endless armored droves clashing outside the great city. Men turned their biting steel upon other men, bloodlust clouding their eyes, minds, and hearts. No doubt it was the doing of Ares, long since known as the destroyer of men.

The cries of battle rang on as Perseus was calmly strolled along the towering walls of Priam's grand city when child's soft whimper far below captured his attention. Perseus sprung down with the delicacy and stealth of a sprite, an overwhelming urge to protect seizing his mind, overpowering even the constant assault of hatred's power within his core. He slowly edged along the alley to scout the source of the child's distress, murderous intent foremost in his mind. The sound of a gruff voice around the corner forced Perseus to a halt.

"Quiet, wench! Make another noise, and you'll regret ever coming into this world!" There was a _smack _and a muffled groan. The man scoffed and continued, "Weak! But that face o' yers will fetch a decent price, I reckon."

Perseus' fists clenched as he caught on to the situation. The wave of protection crested and crashed, washing the god of destruction up in a burst of fury. All the hatred from the earth's last millennium slowly slipped from Perseus' commanding grip, building up in the form of a vengeful god's rage, and Perseus did nothing to reign it back in.

Perseus' dark emotions swirled almost tangibly through the air as he drew the hand-and-a-half sword draped across his back, advancing menacingly on the scene. He snarled as a cowardly whimper tore from the man, whom Perseus identified as a flea-bitten Trojan Army mutt. Said "dog" arrogantly recovered and stupidly approached the furious god. He then started shouting something to Perseus, the reek of alcohol mingling with the energy-infused air. The soldier finally gave up the show of intimidation and drew his own sword, wobbling precariously in a drunken haze.

Perseus finally lifted his gaze to drill into the soldier's skull, eyes attaining a new, violent shade of crimson that pierced the darkness of the night. The soldier faltered at the sight.

"Step away from the girl, you cur!" Perseus spat, staring down at the sad excuse of a man with a wolf-like glare.

"W-What's it to ya? I ain't gotta listen to yer empty threats!"

"Empty, hmm?" Perseus almost purred, voice dripping with false calm, "Whatever you say, but you will not be leaving here alive."

"Who're ya to say that?"

"I? I am Perseus, the god of hatred and your destruction." Perseus drew down the hood of his cloak, fully revealing his fierce, aristocratic features, the last sight for the disgraced warrior who slowly sank to the ground.

Within moments, the Trojan soldier was at death's door, and Perseus did nothing to reign in his rage. Prepared to deal the final blow, Perseus suddenly felt a soft tug on the hem of his cloak. The god turned to face whatever had halted his onslaught and was horrified to see the little girl whom he just saved. She was crying and begging for him to stop, teary eyes peering bravely into his own glowing orbs.

Perseus froze. He had not a clue what to do in the situation. The realization that he had mentally scarred a child dimly dawned upon his brain, but his mind at that point was far too preoccupied. The rage and hatred still raged continuously through his veins and were screaming for total release. "Turn around and go home," he growled, glaring darkly at the unconscious soldier and flashing out, finally releasing all control he had on his powers as soon as he reappeared in the midst of the Trojan troops.

After the encounter in the alley, Perseus' opinion had turned against Priam's men. If a soldier was able to sell someone from his own city, these were a people not to be helped. The false impressions and pent up anger developing after centuries of hatred and prejudice from all of mankind finally overflowed, blinding Perseus to reason and driving him to extremes.

As Perseus reappeared in the battlefield, he let out a feral howl as an explosion of red energy decimated the ranks. However, the armies were endless, and within seconds, the men filled in once again, aiming now for the rogue god. Before Perseus could get his bearings, the Trojans had surrounded him. However, he remained unfazed as a sick grin firmly plastered onto his face, hatred continuing to influence his mind.

Drawing his hand-and-a-half sword and loosening the sheath, Perseus lowered himself into a battle stance, crouched and ready to pounce. As the Trojans charged, centuries of combat training finally kicked in. Honed battle skills, natural fighting instincts, and the power of hatred had combined and were now ready to consume the Trojans in a brilliant shower of flames. A storm had broken, and there was nothing that the Trojans could have done to stop it.

Death, carnage, blood, total… destruction… laid waste to the Trojan lands and army. Armed with a skillful, unconventional fighting style and pure destructive intent, Perseus fought with the strength and ferocity of a cyclone as he bore down upon the powerless soldiers. The Trojans knew then that this was the god; the god they had prayed would come, but not like this. Slowly, Perseus fell into a rhythm of slash, parry, hack, stab, block, counterattack, and parry; the hatred clouded his sight, blocking all else from his mind besides this: kill.

The screams of men resonated through the air, a thin blanket of red seeped over the ground all around Perseus. The Trojans had fallen back and were close to retreating back to their city's fortified walls, yet something held them back. Something inspired them to stand their ground against the demented god. It may have been Hope or Fate, or it was the result of sheer human stupidity. Whatever the case, the soldiers held out just long enough.

The god of destruction had lifted his sword sheath to block a blow aimed at his head and easily cut down three men along with the attacker with his next blow. He whirled around to meet his next adversary, only to immediately raise both sword and sheath to defend against two simultaneous blows. The attacks were inhuman in their force and speed, and Perseus was forced to dig his heels into the ground to withstand the blow.

"What gods are foolish enough to stand in my way?" he growled under his breath, panting slightly as he attempted to gain an upper hand. Perseus grunted as he disengaged his weapons and jumped back, just barely outside the range of attack for both gods. As the eldest god's fogged brain attempted to analyze the situation, one of the opposing gods entered his line of sight.

It was a goddess; Perseus' demented brain told him that much. Before he could gather his bearings any further, the goddess was closing in again with the speed and grace of a deer. In two bounds, she was directly before him, directly within striking distance.

_Clang!_

The collision of metal on metal echoed jarringly across the hushed battlefield. The dust cleared to reveal the two deities' weapons locked in an intricate arrangement. A feint to the side from the goddess' hunting knife had failed, having been blocked by the opposing god's sword sheath. A direct strike to the neck had been intercepted by the sword blade itself.

Perseus gritted his teeth in frustration as he found himself unable to disengage. Any movement would leave him vulnerable to attack. The only consolation was that the same could be said for the unnamed goddess.

"Stop this madness, Perseus," The goddess' commanding voice demanded. It was familiar, that much was certain for Perseus, yet he could not remember the owner in his confused state.

His only response was to release a deranged snarl and attempt to press back the flashing silver hunting knives. "So be it," the goddess muttered to herself.

Suddenly, a scuffling of feet behind him alerted Perseus to another enemy presence. Left with no choice, Perseus kicked one of the hunting knives away, momentarily freeing his sheath to intercept a sword strike aimed at his back.

There was a stinging pain in his leg a second later, and Perseus clenched his jaw as he felt the ichor flow freely out of the wound. However, he would not go down so easily. In one fluid motion, Perseus caught the newcomer's blade with his own, taking control easily. With the other god's sword locked firmly, Perseus yanked his sword backward, sneering at the muffled thump of the other god's weapon as it literally bit the dust.

A split second later, Perseus' blade was positioned millimeters away from his disarmed opponent's throat. "Freeze! Move and he dies!" the god of destruction glared condescendingly at the defeated god and the goddess. The fighting around them ceased as the Trojans and Greeks watched one of the Olympian gods be forced to his knees so easily by a hated minor god.

"Let Apollo go!" the goddess before him demanded, shooting Perseus death glares, but not moving an inch.

"Or you'll do what, goddess?" Perseus mocked, "Face the truth. These filthy Trojans will be obliterated today, and there is nothing you can do about it."

"What happened to your neutrality in this war?"

"Neutrality? That disappeared the moment one of those _curs _tried to sell a girl from their own city!" Perseus snarled and lunged at the gathering crowd of Trojans as his anger was reawakened, completely ignoring the other two deities. The power of hatred rose up for an encore, this time stronger than ever before.

The air around Perseus was shimmering with an oppressive force; everything once again was tinged red as the last burst of out-of-control powers diffused outward rapidly. The god of destruction lashed out at the Trojans, striking ferociously at the first row of soldiers. He then turned to charge at another arc of Trojans surrounding him, but something flashed right in front of his charge.

The figure focused in Perseus' eyes; it was the goddess again, auburn hair shining in the moonlight, silver eyes glinting with determination.

"S-Silver…" the rational part of Perseus' brain sparked back to life. Memories of ages past flashed through his mind. In the fully grown goddess' place, there stood her 12-year-old self after Perseus had saved her from falling out of that tree. The fear reflected in those unique silver eyes was something Perseus wished to never see again. Artemis then morphed into her 18-year-old form: the first time she met him. The guarded curiosity in those same eyes intrigued Perseus on sight, and he had no greater wish than to break down that barrier of weariness. That scene then faded away to be replaced with the pleading brown eyes of the girl he had saved earlier. Her begging for him to stop resounded through his skull, and the protective instinct flared inside of him.

At that moment, something inside Perseus clicked securely back in place, and recognition made its way to his eyes as they widened considerably. But control came slightly too late for this particular god. He was unable to stop his momentum in time, but the ability to redirect the blade still functioned partially. Instead of spearing Artemis straight through the chest, he managed to point the blade outward, barreling past Artemis a moment later.

But a sharp inhalation from said goddess turned Perseus' attention to her, and he stared in horror as she clutched her arm, futilely applying pressure to the bleeding wound.

The battlefield was hushed; not a soul dared to move. A goddess had just tried protecting the Trojans at the risk of endangering her life. An act such as that had been yet unheard of until that point. The Trojan troops were humbled; even the Greeks could find no more reason to fight that day.

Distantly, Perseus heard Hector and Menelaus call for their men to retreat. The sound of footsteps and the clanking of armor slowly faded away, but the god of destruction only had eyes for the moon goddess currently dripping ichor onto the ground.

He took a step forward, hoping to do something to heal the wound, but a shout from behind stopped him in his tracks.

"Get away from her!" Apollo gripped his sword tightly in his hand, glaring at Perseus as he marched toward the two. "I will heal her myself!"

Perseus stared guiltily down at his feet as he stepped back, "Of course, god of medicine. I may not grant that which I am not in possession of, which includes the ability to help others."

Apollo snarled as he passed, "You sure as Hades are incapable of doing good. Move an inch, and you will taste my true power."

Perseus steadily gazed into Apollo's equally unwavering glare before releasing a defeated sigh, averting his gaze to the ground once more, "I cannot explain my actions today. There are no words to describe the horrors I inflicted on the Trojans and you two as well. However, just know that I did not intend for this to occur, especially to the two beings who are the closest things to friends I have on this earth."

There was a pause as Apollo worked on cleaning his twin's wound. Then, "You speak the truth," Perseus let out the breath he had not known he was holding, "but you have done nothing to gain our trust."

"As to be expected, but please accept my sincerest apologies on this matter. I will grant the Trojans just enough power to even the playing field with the Greeks again, no more and no less. Afterward, I will return to strictly enforced neutrality."

Apollo humphed and conjured a chunk of ambrosia, which Artemis ate silently, apparently lost in thought. The three returned to silence as they watched the wound seal itself.

"Until next time, Lord Perseus," Apollo nodded curtly and prepared to flash away.

Perseus frowned and quickly called out right as Apollo disappeared in a burst of light, "Farewell, Apollo. And enough with the 'Lord.' I call you Apollo, so you call me Perseus."

There was a pause after Apollo's departure where Artemis scrutinized Perseus before saying, "You are a strange man, Perseus. Humble, kind (albeit a bit of a nuisance), loyal, dedicated; those are not qualities many males possess."

"Th-Thank you?" Perseus answered, slightly perplexed.

"Oh, it was not an insult or a complement, simply an observation gathered from the time I have spent with you."

"I see. Well, it was a pleasure speaking with you again. Your insight was much appreciated, Milady." Perseus bowed lavishly, "Again, I apologize for the injury I inflicted upon you."

"You were not in control; no apology needed. And what you told my brother about calling you 'Lord' goes for me as well," the moon goddess chided.

"Of course, Milady," Perseus added with a cheeky grin, watching satisfactorily as the goddess rolled her eyes.

"A nuisance, for sure," Artemis muttered to herself, then she crossed her arms and peered straight into the god of destruction's pure, sea blue eyes and said softly, "Your powers are within and a part of yourself. You need not live in constant fear of them: to live like that would be such a waste of an eternity. Accept them, but control them. If you do so, I can guarantee today's events will never be repeated. Zeus shall be calling for your blood once he hears of your actions today. Prepare yourself for a meeting with the council."

Artemis flashed him a quick smile before disappearing in a shower of silver, leaving Perseus slack-jawed, staring on in wonder.

The god of hatred questioned pensively, "How can a goddess so much younger than I possess so much wisdom and insight?" He disappeared in a flash of red light, just as the first rays of sunlight bathed the blood-soaked battlefield with the hope of a new day.

* * *

Olympus was in a frenzy when Perseus arrived in the throne room. The Olympians who were not recovering from their fierce battle just hours before were arguing heatedly amongst themselves. As Perseus appeared just as Zeus teleported in with a flash of lightning and clap of thunder, a hush descended upon the occupants as they waited for the reaction of their king. The King of the Gods' electric blue eyes crackled with loathing as he gazed at Perseus. Then, in a highly abrupt and uncharacteristic jump to the core of the matter, he boomed, "Perseus, for your actions against the Olympians and the good of mankind, I hereby sentence you to eternity in Tartarus."

Perseus, who had until this point, remained respectfully silent, yet alert, opened his mouth to protest the unjust punishment. However, as he looked up, he was met by the crackling end of Zeus' master bolt. Perseus' eyes widened, just as the King of the Gods unleashed his devastating attack in an explosion that shook the very foundations of Olympus.


	5. A Price to Pay

Hey guys! So, first things first, I'd like to apologize for my lack of warning about how OOC Percy would be last chapter. I will try to alert you before I spring something like that on you again. Also, another late update! I'm on a roll! Hopefully spring break will allow me to pick up the writing pace a bit. And, as always, read, enjoy, and review... and cut to disclaimer!

Disclaimer: I will never be Rick Riordan, so I will never own PJO or HOO.

* * *

**A Price to Pay**

"No! Brother!" A shriek cut through the tense, dust-filled air. The throne room was filled with a deafening silence in the aftermath of such an explosion as the Olympians' heads swiveled around to stare at Aphrodite's tear-streaked face. A look of agony was splayed across her features, clashing unpleasantly with her flawless visage.

"Yes! Sister!" As the silence became suffocating, a voice suddenly called from amid the slowly settling smog in the middle of the room.

Heads snapped in the opposite direction as a silhouette was gradually revealed. Glowing red eyes were the first distinguishable feature as they peered calmly, yet amusedly at the goddess of love, "I see you finally realized your relation to me. What gave it away? My charming good looks or my impeccable sense of style?"

Artemis scoffed from her throne, drawing a lopsided grin from Perseus. Aphrodite shot the two a scathing glare, wiped away a few stray tears, and answered haughtily, "In your dreams, Perseus. Your power signature simply resembles Father Ouranos'. I noticed when you blocked Lord Zeus' attack. But this new relationship changes nothing; I still hate you! You represent everything I do not care for, and thus are my enemy."

Perseus's grin turned mocking as he pointed out with a wink, "Oh, but those tears tell a different story."

Aphrodite's cheeks flushed, whether in anger or embarrassment Perseus couldn't decide. She huffed and turned away, leaving Perseus to smirk victoriously. Suddenly, an outraged yell came from behind Perseus, but the god rolled his eyes and, with a snap of his fingers, the yell was cut off. He stepped aside, and an enraged Zeus came barreling harmlessly past, his Master Bolt having been snapped in half.

Perseus goading laugh resonated around the room, and he drew his own sword with a challenging jerk of the head. Zeus took a threatening step forward, materializing a spear in his hands.

"Enough!"

Hera barged between the two, emanating the furious aura of a woman scorned. She shot her unfaithful husband a death glare, "Sit back down, _Zeus_! You have no right to make any decisions without a majority from the council! Be glad Perseus blocked your bolt, since it saved Hermes a trip down to Tartarus to retrieve a wrongfully imprisoned god! We will now have a vote."

The council of gods had never seen Hera act so assertively before, so no one was brave enough to object, even if they wanted to.

"Those in favor of sending Perseus to Tartarus?" Hera declared. Only Ares and Zeus raised their hands, but a disgusted look from Hera forced both their hands back down.

"Those opposed?" The rest of the council besides Dionysus raised their hands.

"Those abstaining from vote?" Dionysus' hand lifted lazily into the air.

"The council has spoken. Perseus will not be sentenced to Tartarus! Does anyone have anything else to add?"

Unsurprisingly, Athena stepped forward, "Yes, even though we are not punishing Lord Perseus for his loss of control, we must keep watch on him, to help him control his powers and to ensure his loyalty to Olympus. It would be disastrous if he were to turn against us in any way."

Perseus scowled and cleared his throat, "I have already been forced to swear loyalty to you Olympians, and as the god of loyalty, I find it impossible to go back on my word."

"I have full faith in your ability to keep your word; however, it is the problem of you being incapable of controlling your powers that worries me."

"I do not need a babysitter!" Perseus' frown deepened as he stared defiantly into the goddess' stormy gray eyes, but he sighed in defeat as he realized the truth in the goddess' words, "Then who is to 'watch' me?"

"I, personally, cannot with my duties to Father," Athena shook her head, her calculating eyes scanning the room for any volunteers. Nobody spoke.

After a moment, the goddess of wisdom spoke again, "Why not you, Artemis? You are sensible and appear to know Perseus better than the rest of us."

"Me?" Artemis gawked incredulously, "He is a male! I am not all that against having Perseus stay with the Hunt, but my hunters will eat him alive!"

Zeus slammed his fist on his armrest, "I will _not_ have that creature living with you! Why are you so accepting of him?"

Artemis turned a cold gaze upon her father, "Because he was more of a friend and parent than you ever were."

Zeus' jaw clenched and he gritted out through his teeth, "He hurt you! And you will show me the respect that I deserve, girl!"

"Hold your tongue, Zeus! You are in enough trouble as it is!" Hera snapped irritably before grabbing her husband's ear and flashing out, no doubt to give him the tongue lashing of his life. Perseus did not pity the old fool.

Turning his attention back to the topic at hand, Perseus spoke up, "Lady Artemis, I would forever be grateful if you were to accept me as a… pupil, per say, and companion to your Hunt. I swear on the Styx to not be a burden upon you."

"I…" Artemis hesitated, looking conflicted and unsure of the whole situation.

"Please, _Milady_," Perseus smirked as he watched the corner of goddess' mouth twitch slightly, "Though I am much older than all of you, I have been unable to learn all I can about my powers because of my isolated lifestyle and the Fates' selective instruction. It would benefit me greatly, and I can also teach the Hunt the art of swordsmanship, if that may aid you in any way."

Artemis' brow furrowed as she tried futilely to think of an excuse before finally admitting defeat and nodding. She gave Perseus a hard stare and said, "Might as well get it over with. Come to the forest outside Priam's city. If you can find us, you are worthy of joining the Hunt," and flashing out.

Perseus grinned, "Challenge accepted," before he too disappeared in a flash of red.

* * *

An hour of Perseus' immortal life had disintegrated into sniffing out the Hunt. Perseus had searched everywhere in the woods, but to no avail. He was purely incapable of locating the moon goddess' band of merry maidens.

The will to continue was just about to vanish completely when the blue-eyed god's divine hearing registered a slight commotion a short way west of his position. Mustering up some dregs of courage and subduing his exhaustion, Perseus headed out toward the noise.

Nothing could have prepared him for the sight he would stumble upon at the hunters' camp.

Utter chaos had descended upon the girls in the form of a monster attack. A pack of gigantic canines, hellhounds, had cornered some younger huntresses at one end of camp, while a horde of much stronger adversaries had surrounded the older, more experienced girls. Even Artemis began looking irritated as she chopped through the seemingly endless army of monsters with her hunting knives.

Silent as his sacred animal the tiger, Perseus drew his sword and unstrapped his sheath, falling upon his prey fluidly, completely in his element. Covertly delivering several well-placed slashes in rapid succession, Perseus sliced through a good fraction of the monsters without attracting any attention, but it wasn't enough. Attempting to conceal your presence and kill things at the same time was an extremely difficult combination.

Finally, Perseus decided that he had to risk distracting the hunters if he were ever to have a chance at destroying those monsters. Drawing on his powers, Perseus tuned a wave of destructive force to explode around him and decimate only the monsters. A red ring rippled outward, and the monsters fell, being reduced to golden dust within moments. The hunters went on high alert as they scanned the area for the source of the power and laid eyes on Perseus.

"Who are you, _boy_?" One of them, a dark-haired girl with the air of a Persian princess, asked disdainfully, as though the word 'boy' were the worst insult one could receive.

"Nice to meet you as well," Perseus muttered, "And I am no boy, to answer your question."

"That answered nothing!" the huntress spat, "Now tell us who you really are."

"Do you know the myth of Perseus?" the god inquired.

"Of course! But that has no bearing in this conversation," was the harsh reply.

"Oh, but it does. So tell me, what do you know about him?"

"He was a demigod son of Zeus who slew Medusa," another huntress stated bluntly, like it was the most obvious thing in the world.

Perseus scoffed, "No, the other one, that Perseus' namesake!"

"The god of hatred, then. And of destruction. Nothing to be proud of," the princess-like girl sneered.

Perseus forced himself to swallow a snappy comeback, "And his appearance?"

A child Athena by the looks of it piped up, "Perseus is a very reclusive god, so very few have documented his appearance."

_They speak of me as if I am an animal to be observed, _Perseus thought bitterly, "What do they know of his features?"

The Athenian girl scanned Perseus suspiciously, "Why do you want to know?"

"Simply curious, is all."

"There is no need to be curious," a new voice suddenly entered the conversation, "god of death-black hair, god of blood-red eyes, the end of man, _Lord_ Perseus, for it is of yourself that you are asking."

Perseus smirked and bowed low to the newcomer, "At last, a huntress uncovers my identity, despite a less-than-fair notion of my arrival." He glanced up from his genuflecting position straight into the disapproving silver eyes of Artemis herself.

"You are much different than you were yesterday," the moon goddess stated, "I cannot say this changed personality is particularly appealing."

Perseus straightened out and laughed happily, much more freely than he had done in centuries, "I have finally released much of mankind's hatred from the last 1000 years! A personality change is to be expected."

Artemis smiled fondly at the god, but quickly became emotionless again once she realized what she was doing, "I tire of this pointless chatter. Hunters, I have an announcement. Lord Perseus will be staying with us for an indefinite amount of time, as decreed by the gods. Please treat him with respect, do not harm him, etc. You know the drill, girls. Just treat him like you do Apollo."

The statement was met by a cacophony of groans and complaints, but a scowl from Artemis shut them up. Then, redirecting a glare on Perseus, Artemis demanded in a no-nonsense attitude, "Flirt with my hunters, hurt them, do anything to them, and you will wish you were never born."

"Understood, Milady!" Perseus saluted smartly and smiled at the hunters, "A pleasure to meet you. I am Perseus…"

The hostility on the hunters' faces was enough to stop him in his tracks. Finally, the Persian princess-like girl sneered derisively, "I thought we had reached that conclusion already." The other hunters either laughed outright or had enough kindness to try smothering the laughter behind their hands as they slowly dispersed around the trampled campsite.

At last, it was only Perseus and Artemis. "I must apologize for that. Zoe is not the most… accepting of men, no matter if they're human or divine."

"I see. She must have had quite the bad experience with males for her to hate them so much," Perseus mused, wincing as the familiar flow of hatred accompanying a good amount of pain suddenly washed over his core.

Artemis looked over at him sadly, "It seems like hatred replaces quickly in the world."

With a sigh, Perseus nodded, "Unfortunately. And I am to bottle it all up until my next grand blow-up, hopefully far into the future."

"That's not right. Most gods do not contain their powers. You would not need to suffer if you simply allowed the hatred to cycle naturally back to the earth." The moon goddess said with a frown.

"I cannot allow that," Perseus objected quietly, directing his gaze to the darkening sky. At Artemis' questioning silence, he continued, "Have you ever met Hypnos? Nike? Any wielder of an emotional or metaphysical state will exhibit this. Take Hypnos for example. He is a god who maintains the continuous cycle of sleep energy, using the technique you suggested to me. But there is a side effect."

"Which is?"

"Those around you will be able to feel the effects of your domain. That is why those who are near Hypnos feel drowsy. It's because he continuously exudes sleep."

"So if you were to channel your powers like that, everything around you would be destroyed?" Artemis asked, intrigued by this new information.

"Not exactly," Perseus answered pensively, "Since destruction is not a metaphysical state or emotion, that aspect of my powers does not apply to this situation."

Glancing over at Artemis, he saw her completely bemused expression and elaborated, "The explosion of destructive powers is a result of the bottled hatred combining with my powers of destruction. You could say it represents the extent of the physical and psychological damage I am capable of inflicting if my powers are left unchecked."

"That makes sense," Artemis admitted, "So, if you took my previous advice, everybody around you would feel hatred?"

"Correct, correct!" Perseus grinned, "Forcing negative emotions into people is not the greatest way to start a conversation, so I believe not letting any of my power out and dealing with the individual repercussion is better than unleashing something awful upon the whole of mankind with no consequence for myself."

Artemis lifted her gaze to meet Perseus' bright sea blue eyes. Not for the first time did she find herself thinking just how beautiful those twin sapphire irises truly were. Shaking herself out of those forbidden waters, Artemis spoke, "You are unusual, as I have said before. I have met no one with quite as much loyalty and selflessness to match your own."

Perseus blushed, but smiled, "Thank you for your kind words, Lady Artemis."

"What have I said about the 'Lady' business, Lord Perseus?"

"The same thing I have said about the 'Lord' business, Lady Artemis," Perseus grinned lopsidedly as he ran his fingers through his midnight locks.

Artemis rolled her eyes, "Well, back to the subject of your powers. It seems I have nothing to teach you; rather, it is you teaching me. Why did you agree to have me 'instruct' you on something you already know?"

"So I could get the chance to learn something I do not know," Perseus answered simply.

"You will need to elaborate. It seems that the Fates' vague ways of speech have rubbed off on you."

"Archery."

"Archery? Are you saying that the great and ancient Lord Perseus does not know how to wield a bow and arrows?" Artemis teased good-naturedly.

Perseus scowled and argued defensively, "It was always something I never got the hang of. And was the 'ancient' comment really necessary?"

"You are the first god," Artemis pointed out.

"Yes, but going by that logic, Aphrodite would be ancient as well, since she was born mere minutes after I was formed. Besides, I only have about 500 years on you. If you compare that in respect to immortality, it is hardly a large gap at all." Perseus insisted.

Artemis looked thoughtful, "I guess you have a point."

"Of course I do!" Perseus puffed out his chest and faked an arrogant grin, causing the goddess next to him to roll her eyes once more.

"It is about time for dinner, and I need to check my hunters for injuries. I suggest you head to camp as well. After all, you are the one cooking for us tonight as reward for saving us." Artemis began walking toward the cluster of tents.

"What? Wait! Artemis! How does that make any sense! Hold on!" Perseus balked, caught completely off guard by the goddess' quick change of attitude, watching dejectedly as Artemis sauntered off toward the tents.

* * *

_"__Ancient powers are awakening, Perseus…" Clotho's voice echoed mystically._

_ "__Ones you are destined to fight…" Atropos continued._

_ "__Beware, my boy, it will be no easy task…" The voice of Lachesis boomed eerily._

_ "__But you will be ready, you must. For the fate of the world is in your hands…" _

_The three intermingled voices trailed off vaguely into the ethereal, misty landscape, leaving Perseus to call after them, confused, curious, and sufficiently frightened, "But, Clotho! Atropos! Lachesis! Wait, please! What are those powers? Does this have anything to do with the monster attack yesterday? I must know more!" _

_"__You will know when the time comes. It is risky for us to even visit you here. Now, _wake up!"

"Wake UP! Oh, for the love of Zeus!"

There was a sharp snap and a splash. Perseus shot up in his little cot, sopping wet, eyes darting everywhere in an attempt to locate his assailant. They finally landed on the silhouettes of Artemis along with those of two hunters.

Sputtering as water dribbled down his face from his hair, Perseus huffed indignantly, "Why did you do that?"

In an instant, hunter #1 (otherwise known as Zoe) had an arrow nocked and ready to shoot the god through. "Watch your tone, boy! You will show some respect, or you will be missing something precious to you soon enough!" The bowstring tightened more.

"Stand down, Zoe!" Artemis barked before turning back to Perseus, "Get up! It's time for archery lessons."

Taking one look at the pre-dawn sky, Perseus flopped back down and groaned, "It's not even daybreak yet!"

There was a _twang _and an arrow implanted itself into the cot, mere centimeters away from Perseus' head. Perseus blanched and jumped up, no longer in any kind of mood to sleep in. Artemis, meanwhile, frowned and plucked the arrow out of the bed, "Zoe, this is inexcusable!"

"Milady,_ it _was being disrespectful."

"Zoe!" Artemis warned, but Perseus raised a hand and walked over to Zoe, drying his clothes with his powers in the process. Artemis eyed the man suspiciously, not entirely trusting him to behave either.

Perseus held Artemis' gaze and almost imperceptibly shook his head. Artemis shot him one more distrusting glance but turned to give an order to other hunter (Phoebe). He then continued to slowly advance on the unfazed lieutenant. As he neared the girl, he realized just how skittish she was feeling in the situation; there was apprehension in her eyes, and every muscle was tensed. Slowing down the closer he got, Perseus eventually came to a halt before the dark-haired girl and stared hard into her onyx eyes.

To Zoe's credit, she maintained eye contact with Perseus' tiger glare for a full minute before faltering. The slight waver in her focus was all the signaling Perseus needed as he softened his gaze. By this point, the two were almost nose-to-nose, neither showing physical signs of surrender.

Without warning, Perseus jumped back and swept low in a bow. Zoe, who had obviously not been expecting that and whose emotions were on edge the whole time, unsheathed the hunting knives at her belt and slashed blindly. There was a _snick_ and Zoe calmed down to see that she had nicked Perseus' cheek. He was oozing golden ichor from the cut, but he maintained his position despite the condition.

Zoe shook herself from the shock of injuring an immortal and said stolidly, "I apologize, Lord Perseus. Get up and heal the wound. We do not have all day." With a decided sheathing of her knives, she left the tent without a word, motioning for Phoebe to follow her.

Artemis watched sadly ass her oldest hunters strode from the tent before turning to the injured god sympathetically, "Give them time; they will come around eventually." She slowly pulled Perseus over to the bed and examined the cut. It was not fatal in the slightest, so Artemis summoned a square of ambrosia and shoved it into the god's hands. He nodded appreciatively before devouring it in a bite. The cut immediately ceased flowing with ichor, and the torn tissue was in the process of mending itself when the dulcet tones of a hunting horn sliced through the frigid morning air. Not a minute later, a young hunter poked her head in and announced hysterically, "My Lady! Lord Perseus! The Greeks are attacking the Trojans once more, and Lord Ares is accompanying them on the battlefield! We must defend Troy!"

"What stupid gods and men!" Artemis exclaimed as she drew her bow and flashed out.

Perseus abruptly thanked the hunter before he too teleported to the gates of Troy where a battle was raging furiously. Assessing the situation, Perseus concluded that the entire battle was instigated by Ares himself. The god's bloodthirsty aura was diffused throughout the Greek ranks, poisoning their minds and influencing their actions. Analyzing still farther, Perseus realized that many of the troops were in no condition to be fighting, seeing as they had just been injured in battle the day before. Gods only did this sort of thing when they bored, and witnessing the selfish deed firsthand motivated Perseus to fight harder.

As Perseus weaved his way through the tide of battle with his trusty sword and sheath, he began counting the number of Greeks he managed to take down, hoping to return to neutrality as soon as possible. A jab, a slash, and a Greek soul flitted down to Hades' realm. With each life taken, Perseus' nausea increased until he could bear it no more. Flashing away from the battlefield, Perseus reappeared next to a tree in the forest and sat down, staring blankly into the undergrowth.

Slowly but surely, his stomach settled and he stopped shaking. Perseus took a deep breath and stood up, ready to flash back to the fighting, but the splashes of red on his hands stopped him in his tracks.

"The blood of my… enemies. No, they are not enemies, merely unfortunate souls I stripped from this world to repay my debt," Suddenly, a realization crashed onto Perseus' shoulders with the force of the sky, leaving him momentarily stunned.

"I'm no better than Ares…" He whispered, horrified by the revelation, "I murdered _527 _men in cold blood today to repay a debt… It was all for my own personal gain... But that debt must be repaid. There is no other way. Hades, cleanse my soul."

The prayer was uttered in a distress-filled mumble as the god teleported once again to the bloodshed occurring before Priam's mighty gates.

* * *

Upon his reappearance on the battlefield, Perseus sensed a disturbance. There was no longer just the power of Ares, but also those of Hera and Aphrodite intermingling in the air, and sure enough, all three divinities were engaged in battle against the Trojans. The gods have truly entered the game. Artemis and the hunters were doing all they could to even the playing field for the Trojans, but they were no match for three Olympians. Granted, Artemis was doing fine on her own, but the hunters were little more than immortal demigods, and as such, they did not have the fully developed and far-reaching powers of a god. Perseus gritted his teeth in frustration for both his unpaid debt and the gods' meddling.

As he watched Ares swing his broadsword with the epitome of savage glee etched upon his scarred face, Perseus refocused his gaze on the target of the sword blow, and standing directly in the danger zone was Zoe Nightshade, disarmed, afraid, and in extreme peril.

Without a second thought, Perseus teleported to the girl, right as the flash of metal began its fatal descent toward her undefended neck.


	6. Love's True Motives

**Hello, friends. I know I say this every time, but I am so sorry for this ridiculously late (and short) update! I had the busiest two months in my life, and emerged from it with a cringe-worthy case of writer's block. Again, I am super sorry. But don't worry, I am NOT giving up on this fic. I'll just need a bit of time to get my head back in the game. Thanks for your understanding and support of this story. Please read, enjoy, and review!**

**Disclaimer: The great Mr. Rick Riordan owns all rights to Percy Jackson and Heroes of Olympus. I own nothing.**

* * *

**Love's True Motives**

Celestial bronze glinted under the rays of the rising sun as the broadsword arced toward its target with wholly murderous intent. Time seemed to slow for Zoe as she watched the weapon slice through the tension-infused air, straight toward her neck. It seemed that this would finally be the end, but a bright idea dawned upon her within a second of decapitation.

She reached back, unslung her quiver, and held it in front of her, closing her eyes as she waited for the jarring blow. Yet, the anticipated attack never came; or rather, it was not at all like what Zoe believed it would be. That in itself was reason enough for suspicion, but the grunt of pain not a moment later forced her eyes open to examine the situation.

What her onyx eyes beheld filled her with a strange swirl of emotion: worry, gratitude, relief, and irritation, for there was Perseus, ever the hero, with a sword partially imbedded in his forearm and partially blocked by the dense wood of Zoe's quiver.

"Idiot!" Zoe raged as she realized what had happened. Ares scowled, yanked his sword away, and charged at Perseus to exact his revenge for losing his would-be kill. But even the god of war was no match for the god of destruction, injured or not, because with a flick of the wrist, Perseus drew his sword and knocked his opponent's blade straight out of its owner's hand.

Ares screeched to a halt in his shock, took one look at the scorching glare Perseus shot his way, and sneered, "You may think you've won, scum, but you just wait. You'll be no match for what's coming for ya in the future." A shiver travelled down Perseus' spine at the words, recalling his dream from the night before, but before he could demand more information, Ares was gone, most likely back to Olympus to cry to his father. The moment the god of war left the scene, the fighting calmed considerably; within moments, the battleground was freed of the sounds of war as the soldiers slowly trickled away, and the gods returned to Olympus.

"Perseus!" two shouts rent the air mere minutes later. The god in question froze in his observations before turning around rigidly, only to be met with a slap to the face and a punch to the gut.

"How stupid could you be?" Zoe shrieked, shaking her empty quiver threateningly, "I could have taken care of it myself! Don't play hero where heroes aren't needed, boy! But… Thank you."

Artemis nodded in agreement, not even bothering to use words to express her jumbled up emotions, and slapped Perseus again, ignoring his indignant yelp, before she caught sight of his still-bleeding wound, "You're hurt. Zoe, fetch me a clean wet cloth please."

Perseus attempted to pull his arm away, but it was in vain since Artemis's hand darted out like a striking snake to catch his wrist. Perseus hissed in pain as the sudden jolt irritated the gash.

"I'm sorry, Perseus," the goddess apologized quickly, glancing up at him in concern, "but I wouldn't have to do this if you we're being a fool. Hold still, I need to clean it out."

Perseus hesitatingly extended his arm and grinned lopsidedly at her through the sting of her touch, "Guilty as charged. Do what you must."

Zoe returned with the cloth not a moment later, allowing Artemis to get to work with the injury. Bringing her fellow deity's arm closer so she could examine it, she carefully cleaned the blood and gore out of the wound and gave Perseus a chunk of ambrosia, watching satisfactorily as the sinews began to knit back together.

"You are very lucky Zoe got out her quiver, Perseus," Artemis chided once the injury fully healed, "otherwise your arm would have been chopped clean off. Don't do something that stupid again."

"While I am grateful, wouldn't you agree that missing an arm would make me all the more charming? I think a rugged, barbaric look would do well for me." Perseus smirked and lifted an eyebrow teasingly, only to be punched by an irritated, albeit reluctantly amused, moon goddess.

Artemis brandished her fist half-heartedly, "Stop it before I cut the arm off for real."

Perseus could do nothing more than seal his lips and attempt to feign innocence.

* * *

"This pointless dispute must come to an end!" Odysseus groaned in frustration, rubbing his face with his hands as he leaned forward against the large conference table, "We have been feuding for ten years! As your advisor, I suggest the Greek Army withdraw…!"

"No!" A booming voice interjected resoundingly, followed by a solid wooden thud. Odysseus glanced up in alarm, only to be met by the quivering dagger hilt embedded within the banquet table before him and the fierce glare of the mighty King Agamemnon himself, "I shall not withdraw _my _troops until the Trojans are dead and their city is burning!"

"My liege, be reasonable. The army is tired, morale is reaching record lows. See your people rather than your exorbitant ambitions for once!" Odysseus pleaded desperately, reluctant to stand in conflict the Grecian commander-in-chief's will, but ultimately succumbing to his responsibility of deciding the wisest course of action.

He stared defiantly into the fiery gaze of the larger man, meeting his kingly obstinacy with that of his own. Both warriors' eyes remained locked in a silent, motionless battle for supremacy, with neither man willing to back down. However, one's resolve must eventually shatter, and the one to depart first was that of Odysseus. The King of Ithaca stared disapprovingly at his ruler one last time and said, "I see. This was a battle I was fated to lose. But take this to heart, Agamemnon: you will need Achilles if you wish to succeed in the final battle, and I pray for mercy if he continues to deny us his aid."

Odysseus let the warning linger in the tense air before turning to depart. His brisk stride had carried him to the tent flap, when Agamemnon's voice stopped him short, "Wait, King of Ithaca!"

Odysseus spun on his heel and raised an eyebrow, "Yes, my lord?"

"Come with me to Achilles' tent," the Commander-in-Chief swept over to the tent entrance as well. He brushed the flap aside without as much as a glance in Odysseus' direction, but before he exited, he grabbed the younger man's chiton and growled in his ear, "If you wish this war to end, you figure out a solution for us to win, or the fighting can continue another ten years for all I care. Understood?"

"Of course, my liege," Agamemnon released his hold on the cloth and continued on his mission purposefully. Odysseus' brow furrowed in thought, but he remained silent as he followed the warlord out to the humid night air, absentmindedly patting a hound as it sniffed around outside the tent and greeting a few soldiers.

* * *

Artemis had just exited the throne room of Mount Olympus when she heard an excited bark from behind her. She whirled around warily to find herself shin-to-snout with a black Cretan hound. The hound snorted in a disgruntled manner as the goddess relaxed and laughed slightly at the adorable canine, extending a hand toward it, "Is little Lord Perseus grumpy?"

The dog jumped out of her way with a soft growl and began to morph back into his human form. As soon as Perseus returned to his regular body, he turned to Artemis and began barking. Realizing what he was doing, the god flushed and cleared his throat, trying to ignore the other deity's poorly-smothered laughter.

"Why did I have to be the dog? I am pretty sure I was allergic to myself," he muttered dejectedly, looking for all the world like the sad puppy he was moments before.

Artemis shrugged innocently, "You make a better-looking war hound."

Perseus' eyes narrowed in disbelief but let the matter drop, "My misfortunes aside, I have learned that the Greeks are losing patience in this war, just as I have feared."

Artemis looked inquiringly at Perseus before the same conclusions dawned upon her, "I see. Agamemnon is much too stubborn to leave in defeat; therefore, he must be plotting to end the war with a Greek victory as soon as possible."

"Exactly. With Odysseus as his brain and Achilles as his brawn, Agamemnon has his cards set to thrust the Trojans toward their destruction."

"Then we must act, Perseus! The Greeks mustn't emerge from this petty feud victorious." Artemis declared determinedly.

"I cannot," Perseus admitted, holding up a hand as Artemis opened her mouth to protest, "I have paid off my debt to the Trojans. Thus, I return to my vow of neutrality."

Artemis' eyebrows twitched as she struggled to contain her frustrations before she sighed in defeat, "So be it. Return to and guard the Hunters' camp. That is all."

"Yes, Milady," Perseus bowed resignedly and teleported away, leaving Artemis alone in the middle of Olympus.

* * *

Two nights passed, and the Greeks' master plan had been set. Illuminated by the torchlight in the desolate Trojan square, the form of a woman could be seen sitting on the edge of a fountain, running her slender fingers through the cool running water.

"What is it, Lord Perseus?" she asked, not even bothering to look up at the god as she continued stirring the water.

"Helen. What are you doing?" Perseus asked, emerging from a nearby shadow, his bright blue eyes narrowed in suspicion as he walked forward purposefully. His hands were clenched into fists, all muscles tensed, ready for anything that could arise.

"I am enjoying the feeling of the water passing between my fingers. Is it that suspicious, My Lord?" Helen stated calmly.

"You know that is not what I meant. What were you doing with the Trojan Horse?" Perseus growled, stepping closer to Helen threateningly, "I know the Greeks' plan. *Why were you taunting the ones here to rescue you, Queen of Sparta?"

"I-I know not what you mean," the supposed most beautiful woman in the world asked timidly, true fear gripping her heart, but Perseus was unrelenting.

"Don't play innocent with me, Helen. Where does your heart lie? Tell me the truth! You have brought down the pain of war upon Troy for ten years. Is this just a game to you, you deceitful little girl? Does the concept of death elude you?"

Helen looked down at her hands nervously, feeling a sea of confusion crash upon her as well as a little twinge of what could only be described as guilt within the pit of her stomach. Perseus impatiently tilted her head up and forced her to look at him. What the Trojan princess saw would haunt her dreams for years to come. The God of Destruction's eyes were a dangerous, noxious purple, seemingly torn between the beautiful sea blue they naturally are and the notorious blood red of his bloodlust. It seemed to be taking every ounce of his strength to not draw his sword and stab something.

"W-Wh-What are y-you doing, Lo-Lord Perseus?" Helen stammered, fearing for her life for the first time in years.

"What am I doing? I am restraining myself from eradicating something from this world that goes against all of my principles. People oftentimes forget that I am God of Loyalty and Abstinence as well, and you, Helen of Troy, exhibit neither of those qualities," Perseus hissed as he struggled to contain his frustration at the woman's evasiveness and apparent cluelessness, "Now answer my question. Which side are you truly on?"

Helen looked away, a slight blush tingeing her cheeks and a glaze falling over her eyes as she opened her mouth to respond, "I… I am…" She hesitated as she seemingly struggled with herself.

"Yes?" Perseus prompted in exasperation.

"I am… on your side!" Helen announced at last, the glaze that had settled over her eyes morphing into a look of fiery passion, "I did all of this for you!"

Perseus stumbled backward, the blue returning to his eyes through pure shock, "What?" He could not believe what he was hearing. "What are you saying?" he asked.

"I love you, Perseus! But you never even looked my way despite everything I've tried to draw your attention. I started a war, possibly the most destructive war in history, for you. This is my tribute to you, God of Destruction. Accept my offering!" Helen babbled senselessly, hysterically. This was such a dramatic transition from the shy, innocent girl she was mere seconds ago that Perseus could do nothing but watch helplessly.

"Do you not appreciate this gift, My Lord?" the woman continued on fervidly, "Then please accept this one instead!"

Leaving no time for Perseus to truly absorb what was happening, Helen grabbed him by his cloak, yanking him down to eye level. She stared into his eyes with the ferocity of a predator before smashing her lips to his in a frenzied kiss.

Perseus tensed in surprise before what the woman was doing finally registered in his brain. He quickly shoved her away in disgust, a newfound fury boiling to the surface. _How dare this woman show such little respect? How dare she have the arrogance to believe she could walk away from this insane venture of hers successful and unscathed?_ Perseus thought as the rage boiled over. His eyes turned pure red as his mind cleared of all logical thought.

He clenched his fist and advanced toward Helen, who was still feverishly basking in her glory. Perseus had been fully prepared to blast the woman to pieces before he stopped dead in his tracks. The rational part of his mind had taken hold as it realized that he was about to cause bodily harm to a woman, no matter how despicable she was. He wrestled with his own rage as reason and emotion, mind and heart fought against each other for the privilege of expression.

His hand twitched as it struggled to channel the destructive power that was slowly winning over reason. Slowly, but ever-so-surely, his arm began to rise, his hand outstretched as he prepared to cast the fatal blow.

But such an attack would never land.

"Perseus, no!"

There was a blur of auburn across Perseus' field of vision, and his arm was pushed aside. The resulting blast of energy detonated against the fountain, reducing the sturdy marble to dust and causing water to spew in all directions. Perseus turned his furious red glare upon whoever had interfered, only for the anger to drain from him instantaneously as his eyes landed on the form of the moon goddess.

"What are you doing here, Artemis?" He asked gently as he rubbed his temples, trying to remember the blurred details from a few seconds before.

"I came here to protect an innocent girl," Artemis said sadly as she nodded in Helen's direction. The girl was standing next to the ruined fountain with a delirious, gloating look on her face as she swayed from side to side.

Perseus sneered in disgust, "Innocent? I assume you saw what she did, so why are you defending her?"

"I did see what she did," Artemis replied curtly, feeling an unpleasant feeling brewing in the pit of her stomach, but ignoring it for the moment, "But she is not to blame."

The god of destruction stared at his companion in disbelief as he tried to process what she was saying, "Then who is at fault? Somebody is!"

"Take a closer look at her and you will see," the moon goddess gestured to the girl. Perseus took a good look at her this time and immediately noticed something abnormal. There was a soft pink glow surrounding Helen, a glow that he would recognize anywhere. Suddenly, the entire situation made sense, from the girl's glazed eyes to her irrational behavior.

"Aphrodite did this," he growled, turning toward the sky, "Aphrodite! Come here at once!"

There was a pause, and suddenly a puff of rose-scented, pink smoke materialized behind Helen. The enchantment around the girl flared in reaction to the presence of its caster. As the suffocating smoke cleared, the goddess of love and beauty was revealed, standing proudly as she surveyed her work.

"You called, Brother?" she asked with all the innocence and sweetness of the world, but her eyes betrayed her true feelings.

"What do you call this?" Perseus snapped, gesturing wildly toward Helen.

"A stupid little girl…" Aphrodite replied snidely.

"You know that's not what I meant. Now answer me straight: what were you planning to accomplish through all this?"

"My dear brother, you assume I am committing a crime," the goddess simpered dramatically, "But where is the bad in maintaining the balance of the world?"

"What, if anything, about this war is balancing?" Artemis cut in throwing a scathing glare at the love goddess.

"Oh, such a clueless little maiden you are. Perseus understands, does he not?" Aphrodite turned to her brother and shot him an unpleasant sneer.

"Perseus, what is she talking about?" the moon goddess interrogated the god.

"I will explain in a minute," Perseus muttered, "But first, release Helen from your control, Sister!"

"Don't try to avoid it Perseus, explain it now," Artemis demanded, crossing her arms over her chest.

"Yes, Perseus, explain it now," Aphrodited mocked.

Perseus gritted his teeth as his sibling skillfully changed topics. "No, Aphrodite, you will take the spell off of the girl this instant."

"Oh, but she'll have so many petty questions. We'll never get to what's important," the goddess drawled as she examined a perfectly shaped fingernail.

The god of destruction clenched his fists in frustration, trying to hold himself back from punching the infuriating woman, "Fine, I will explain. But this does not excuse your actions in the slightest, Aphrodite."

The goddess simply shrugged her shoulders nonchalantly and returned to examining her nails.

"As you know, by controlling domains of powerful emotional or metaphysical states, the god or goddess must constantly recycle the power back to the environment," Perseus began, looking towards Artemis to ensure she was listening, "I recycle my power back to the environment once it becomes too much to contain. Aphrodite constantly distributes hers, but her intake of power is much stronger than what she is willing to output through her usual antics. So eventually, the power build-up accumulates to the point where she cannot contain it anymore and must release it through alternative means."

"That is why I instigated this war," Aphrodite said with a cruel smile as she took over the lecture, "Hatred and love are counterparts for a reason. The more hatred that is created in the world, the less love will be produced. So with the reduced love input, I can now siphon out the excess build-up that I had accumulated through the years."

Artemis frowned in disapproval, "That is not an excuse to start such a pointless war. If you simply released an equal flow of love to the world as the world returns to you, you would not have this problem.

Aphrodite scoffed, "You're one to talk, Lady Love-Is-Pointless. You can support Perseus and his total sequestration of his powers, while you criticize me for being slightly stingy about to whom I bestow my powers?"

"Perseus has a real, selfless reason! You, on the other hand, do not."

"Why, you insolent little rat…" Aphrodite sniffed disdainfully, "Some people on this earth are just not deserving of love! People like you, for instance."

Artemis sneered and snapped angrily, "I never cared for love in the first place, especially not for your demented version of love!"

Aphrodite was about to retort with her own stinging comment when Perseus' eyes widened, and he snapped his fingers hurriedly. Both goddesses rounded on him in annoyance before seeing the look of urgency upon his face. They sealed their lips and watched tensely as Perseus manipulated the Mist.

"Perseus, what's wrong?" Artemis asked, watching him work.

He paused in his task and turned to stare the auburn-haired goddess in the eye, "We are about to witness the sacking of Troy."

* * *

_*In Homer's _The Odyssey_, Menelaus revealed that Helen had circled the Trojan Horse on the night of Troy's sacking, mimicking the voices of the wives of the Greeks who hid inside._

**So there it is. Sorry this chapter wasn't super interesting, but it sets up the nature of Perseus' relationship with Zoe, Artemis, Ares, and Aphrodite. The actual conflict will start to come into play with the coming chapters. Also, don't worry. This is most likely the last Trojan War era chapter. There might be a flashback back to this era in the future, but present action will be moved to... WWII? the American Civil War? Modern day? I'm not quite sure yet. Pls tell me what time period you would really like me to write them in next. Thanks!**


	7. When History Repeats

**Hello again, friends! This is a slightly shorter, but very important plot-building chapter. I had done some research and found that the conflict between Greeks and Romans (which is a major focus in this part) took place in the American Civil War, which is good because the majority of you wanted the story to include Greeks vs. Romans. For the people voting for WWII, that was between the kids of the Big Three, so I don't think I'm going to do it, sorry. But there is a possibility of flashbacks to it if I can fit it in. I also got a request for the story to be set during the Puritan Reformation, and I'm super sad to say that I don't know how to fit the pagan gods into a Christian conflict. Again, sorry if I disappointed anyone, but hopefully you will like where I'm going with this.**

**One more thing: This is too early to tell for sure, but I think this story will probably end up around 30 chapters more or less, for those who were curious. Yeah... random note... Well, on with the story! Thank you guys for your continued support and kind words. Please read, enjoy, and review!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own PJO or HoO *sad face*. It all belongs to Mr. Rick Riordan *happy face*!**

* * *

**When History Repeats**

**September, 1849: Dorchester County, Maryland**

A streak of silver glinted beneath the last rays of the setting sun streaming through the towering oaks of the Maryland woods. The flash was quickly followed by a pained howl and a thud, indicating a successful hunt for the hidden archer. As the wounded hellhound writhed in agony from the fatal projectile, a woman, donned in a loose blouse and brown trousers, leapt gingerly from the lower branches of a nearby tree.

Walking over to her prey, the huntress drew her hunting knife from her sheathe and watched in satisfaction as the monstrous canine disintegrated into golden dust. She habitually retrieved her arrow from the pile of monster remains and scanned the area suspiciously, wondering how many more monsters she would encounter. As she set off on her way once more, a sudden disturbance in the area's balance of power put her on even higher alert. The huntress narrowed her eyes as she scanned the perimeter of the clearing, sensing a familiar aura.

"What is it, Perseus?" she asked in exasperation, locating the intruder sitting amidst a pile of bracken.

The man stood up from his seat and approached the woman, bowing as he drew nearer. "Milady," he said casually, almost jokingly, "Why so harsh?"

The huntress glared at the disrespectful minor god and snapped, "Is that any way to speak to your superior?"

Perseus straightened and glanced at the woman, surprised by her uncharacteristic response before understanding skirted across his face, and he chuckled, "Ah yes, hello Diana."

The Roman goddess glared at her Greek companion condescendingly, an action that allowed the god to re-familiarize himself with the slight differences between the moon goddess' two forms. The familiar face was much sterner in this form, much more angular and much harsher, a look that the Greek Perseus felt did not suit her in the slightest.

Diana watched the god in irritation as he smiled crookedly at her and walked even closer. The goddess stepped back, notching an arrow into her bow and pointing it at him, hissing threateningly, "Do not come near me, _Greek_!" She said the last word with such true venom in her voice that Perseus had to struggle not to remind her that she had a Greek form as well.

Instead, he shrugged nonchalantly, an action that annoyed the moon goddess' militaristic side to no end, and began to change form as well. Perseus morphed right before her eyes, his eyes narrowing and becoming steelier, his mouth setting into a firm line, and his unruly hair cropping slightly shorter. He turned his now-purple eyes on the goddess and saluted much more formally, his newly-materialized battle armor clinking with the movement. "I apologize, Lady Diana. The Greek me does not know when to stop," Perseus declared emotionlessly, masking his embarrassment over his own actions.

"Yes, so it would seem," Diana replied exasperatedly, raising an eyebrow mockingly at the god, "It has been a while since I have seen you in Roman form. You generally stay in your pathetic Grecian one."

"Aye, it is the one I prefer," Perseus said plainly, "As well as the one you do as well."

"While that may be true, we are required to maintain a Roman form for this operation, a fact that I see did not elude you."

The corner of Perseus' lip curved upward amusedly at the backhanded compliment, "You underestimate me, Milady. However, for this mission to succeed, we must let go of our petty prejudice against the Greeks as well. Good leaders are not hypocrites."

Diana sneered in contempt, turning away from the older god, "Tell that to all the Classical gods to ever grace this earth."

"That is a fair argument," Perseus conceded, "But we must change our own beliefs if we ever wish to truly convince the demigods to let go of their ill feelings toward one another."

Diana hummed noncommittally, but nodded slightly as she looked back toward the other deity, "I will think about it. Now, are you coming or not?"

Perseus smiled ever-so-slightly and saluted, preparing to teleport away when he suddenly felt two Greek presences about a mile off, one of a demigod or legacy and one of a god. It seemed Diana noticed too because she quickly changed forms along with Perseus.

Artemis shook her head in irritation as soon as she changed back and motioned for Perseus to follow her. The god grinned as his best friend returned to her normal form and crept stealthily in her wake. The two ascended the trees with a lightness of foot and precision born of millennia of practice. Once fully hidden in the canopy, Perseus worked to mask their auras as he felt the two presences approach at a rapid pace.

After a few minutes, Artemis' eyes widened in recognition. "Hermes," she whispered to Perseus who nodded in agreement. Within seconds, the aforementioned god made his grand entrance in the form of a falcon circling above the trees. As the bird swooped down to perch in the same tree as the two other deities, Perseus' hand shot out and grabbed it. Hermes squawked in surprise at being caught and glared fiercely at his assailants before realizing who they were.

He struggled out of Perseus' grasp and ruffled his feathers angrily before resuming his human form. The messenger god scowled at the gods in the dim moonlight that managed to filter through the leaves as he hissed, "What is it?"

Artemis frowned disapprovingly and asked, "What are you doing, Hermes? And who is that descendant of yours?"

"That is none of your business," Hermes replied curtly, staring down to the ground worriedly.

"If you tell us what is going on, we can help," Perseus offered kindly, noting the look of worry and fear marring the younger god's face.

Hermes hesitated, seemingly conflicted with himself, before relenting, "Fine. It's one of my legacies. She's fleeing from her master's plantation, and I feel it is my duty to protect her in her journey."

Artemis softened and smiled slightly at Hermes. She would never admit it, but he was one of her favorite gods simply because of the fact that he genuinely cared about his children and legacies, taking responsibility for them as well. "I see," she said, "Perseus and I are here to help in any way we can."

Hermes grinned at his half-sister in appreciation before grimacing down at the ground again, "I actually do need your help. There has been an unusual increase in monster activity lately, especially in the woods, and it gets worse the deeper in we get. It's gotten to a point where I have started struggling to simultaneously watch over my legacy and keep the monsters away from her. Plus, the groups of slave catchers are not making the task any easier."

The moon goddess' brow furrowed in thought, "You are right. I noticed the unusual amount of monsters as well. I must have killed about fifty before Perseus interrupted me."

"Well, I'm sorry, Milady!" Perseus said defensively, "I had to fetch you for our little job." Artemis rolled her eyes at him.

Hermes seemed torn between laughing in amusement and snapping at the two to focus. Instead, he pulled out his caduceus and jumped to the ground with Artemis and Perseus following after.

"Say, Hermes," Perseus said as they crept through the underbrush, "what is the name of that legacy of yours?"

There was a pause, then "Harriet Tubman," he finally responded proudly as they caught sight of the woman in question plodding through a stream.

Artemis suddenly hushed the gods as she took cover behind some bushes, dragging them with her as well, "Be quiet. We can't be discovered. If she finds out about the mythological world, the monsters will hunt her even more."

"How are you so sure she doesn't know about the Greek gods?" Hermes asked knowingly.

"If she knew about us, then those monsters would have been swarming a long time ago," Artemis answered shortly.

"You're right," the god of messengers said, "But we needn't worry. Harriet's a devout Christian. She would need some extreme evidence against her beliefs for her to recognize her heritage, so as long as we are not too overt, we should be––"

Whatever he was about to say was cut off as a Cyclops loomed out of the undergrowth, ready to pounce on his midnight snack. Hermes was poised to throw his caduceus at the monster in an instant, but Artemis got to the monster first, firing three arrows neatly into its eye. The Cyclops howled in pain as it disintegrated into golden dust.

The gods waited with bated breath as the woman looked around wildly. Her eyes swept over the three Greek gods several times, but she showed no indication that she had seen them as she plowed on at an even faster pace.

Their divine interference duty had commenced. The gods followed the fugitive for miles on end, the flow of monsters getting thicker and thicker. Perseus' sword never caught a break, Artemis had resorted to using her hunting knives as arrows grew useless under the sheer numbers, and Hermes' caduceus had monster dust in all its niches and crannies. Just as Hermes was beginning to lose hope of succeeding in protecting his granddaughter, the unrelenting droves of monsters began to waver. Within the hour, they finally saw starlight peeking through the trees and heard the sound of train engines and other indicators of civilization. They had reached the border into Pennsylvania, a free state for a freed soul.

Hermes beamed in joy as he turned to his companions, "Thank you! Thank you! I can't describe how lucky I am that I ran into you. I'll tell you what, as a thank you, you're both allowed free deliveries and Iris messages for as long as I remember I made this promise."

"It was my pleasure, Hermes, and you really don't need to––," Perseus started, shaking his head rapidly, but Hermes interrupted.

"Just accept this token of gratitude. It's not something I offer every day," he added with a wink, "Now don't you two have a job from Big Daddy Zeus to get to? Sorry I held you up."

Thunder rumbled ominously overhead, but Perseus just rolled his eyes and checked the pocket watch he dug out of his trousers, "Oh, look at that. We need to get going Artemis."

"Of course we do," Artemis sighed reluctantly as she waved to Hermes, "See you later, Hermes. Good luck."

The god chuckled and waved back, "I think you guys need it more."

"Tell me about it," Artemis grumbled, watching Hermes slowly disappear into the distance as Perseus waved goodbye as well. By the time she turned to the God of Destruction, he had already reverted to his Roman form and was waiting patiently for her to as well.

"Lady Artemis," he bowed formally, "I am sorry to rush you, but we must make haste."

Artemis sighed in annoyance and quickly shifted forms as well. Diana blinked up at Perseus and scowled, "I find it immensely irritating that your forms have so few personality differences."

"I was already Roman enough," Perseus stated proudly, tapping his newly armored head for emphasis before turning away briskly to teleport.

* * *

The usual hustle and bustle in the forum of New Rome was abruptly disrupted by two bursts of light. The citizens quickly averted their eyes and glanced to the newly-materialized gods hesitantly. As soon as their eyes landed upon the forms of an Olympian goddess and the oldest god, those present hurriedly threw themselves down in respectful bows, dropping produce, books, and even a child in the process.

Diana rolled her eyes at the mortals' ridiculous behavior. Perseus on the other hand sighed and walked over the crying toddler who had been unceremoniously dumped upon the ground by her father. Bending down, he gently pulled the girl back onto her feet and ruffled her hair, producing a delicate, pink flower for her in hopes of stemming the flow of tears. The gift worked miraculously as she gasped in wonder, thanked Perseus, and ran off to show it to a little group of innocent children playing nearby.

Perseus then directed his gaze disapprovingly to the little girl's guilty father, watching in amusement as he shrank down further and paled. Diana chose to that moment to interject, sensing Perseus' excessive enjoyment of the man's discomfort, "Rise, people of Rome. Call the praetors, and lend me your undivided attention."

Silence descended upon the crowd as a son of Mercury rushed to deliver the message. After a moment, the two leaders of New Rome arrived, along with several members of the Senate. The moon goddess waited until all were situated before continuing, "Romans, Lord Perseus and I are here on behalf of the Olympian gods. Your petty feuding with the Greeks must end. It will bring you nothing but ill if you are to continue."

"But, Milady," the female praetor bravely stepped up, "the Greeks are worthless scumbags. We must seize control of them, or we risk them tainting the world with their laziness."

"For the good of the future, you must let go of your hatred," Diana restated, frustrated at the human's obstinacy and feeling that nothing she could order them to do would truly break the tension between the two cultures.

"W-With all due respect, Lady Diana," the male praetor stammered out, "we will not relinquish our hatred that easily. So long as the Greeks are not under our control, we fill fight on."

The goddess sighed in resignation, gesturing for Perseus to follow her and preparing to depart. Perseus nodded in acknowledgement before turning to the people in the forum, "Heed my final warning, Romans. The gods cannot force you into making peace with the Greeks, but know this. If and when the fighting starts, the death and destruction to follow will be earth-shattering. Believe me, I would know."

With that ominous declaration, the gods disappeared, leaving the Romans glued to their place in shock.

When Perseus and Artemis reappeared in the Hunters' camp, they were immediately swarmed by a mob of worried girls. After explaining what had happened and beginning to feel uncomfortable in the all-encompassing silence, Perseus tried to lighten the mood by cracking a joke (one of such little comedic value that it must never be repeated), resulting in about thirty arrows being pointed at him, five of which came from Artemis alone.

"Please excuse us, girls," the Goddess of the Hunt groaned exasperatedly as the girls disbanded all while throwing half-hearted dirty looks at Perseus. Artemis led Perseus to her tent and turned to him, frowning, "First of all, never say that again."

"I learned it from Apollo," Perseus deadpanned, "I found it quite amusing."

"Why am I not surprised?" Artemis scowled before returning to the real matter at hand, "Perseus, I'm worried."

"For my sense of humor? Or lack thereof?" the god smirked, sitting down on the bear rug in the center of the tent lazily.

"I'm being serious! Something doesn't add up," the moon goddess mused, pacing back and forth in front of Perseus, "Why would the Greeks and Romans choose now to begin feuding again? They settled their differences centuries ago. Also, the abnormal monster activity is quite concerning. I feel like there is some higher power involved here."

Perseus pondered the goddess's words as he grew more and more on edge. The Fates' words all those years ago echoed in his mind, _Ancient powers are awakening, ones you are destined to fight… _

"I have a hunch as to what could be happening," he whispered after a moment of tense silence, "But I must meet with the Oracle at Delphi."

Artemis looked at him curiously, "No need. I can call Apollo. But what could it be?"

"I have to be sure first. If Apollo doesn't give me a clear prophecy, I will explain."

The goddess nodded and shouted to thin air, "Apollo! Come here at once!"

Within seconds, her twin materialized in front of her, adjusting his bow tie and touching his top hat in greeting, "To what do I owe this pleasure?"

Both Perseus and Artemis stared at the blonde, gaping at the pure ludicrousness of his outfit. "You look ridiculous," they blurted simultaneously before glancing at each other, blushing.

Apollo, however, was oblivious as always and gasped indignantly, "I will have you know that this is the peak of fashion right now. You two prudes can only gape in admiration."

Artemis' eye actually twitched as she absorbed her brother's words. Perseus' own mind had been blown by the other god's ignorance, wondering where Zeus went wrong with him. Artemis finally snapped out of her irritated daze and sighed, "Whatever. Apollo, or rather the Oracle, please tell us what is the cause of the strange increase in monsters."

The blonde god looked at his sister questioningly before he stiffened. His eyes glowed, and a noxious, green smoke billowed from his mouth. Apollo turned his gaze to Perseus as he began to speak with the chilling hiss of three female voices.

_"__The Sky's slow waking had begun this day,_

_His vengeance to wreak without delay._

_The gods' old enemies will rise to the challenge._

_The lives of all they seek to scavenge._

_Pay utmost attention to Human Emotion,_

_One to destroy in a single motion,_

_The other to protect with total devotion._

_When the Moon finds love around the bend,_

_Only then will Earth approach her end._

As the smoke dissipated and Apollo's eyes returned to normal, everything stood frozen in shock and terror. Perseus felt a crushing sensation descend upon his shoulders, and he found it exceedingly difficult to breathe. The words of prophecy swirled within his mind, clouding his focus and dragging him deeper into despair. The language was presented in such a lavish, poetic form, but the hidden meaning promised nothing but pain.

Artemis was pale, in total shock over what had just been said. Uncertain sea blue eyes met her own confused silver ones as they turned to the other for comfort and support. Apollo suddenly swayed on the spot, dangerously close to collapse, causing Artemis to start. She darted out and caught him as he crumpled, laying him down on the couch. Unfocused blue eyes blinked up at her, and Apollo slurred, "Tell me what I said when I wake up." He was out like a light before Artemis could even nod.

The moon goddess frowned worriedly at her brother's state and the prophecy itself. There was a level of obscurity in the words that meant it could be taken in multiple ways. Even the Fates themselves encountered several crossroads. It seemed that it would eventually be up to the gods and demigods to choose their paths.

"What does he mean when he said, 'The Sky's slow wakening had begun this day'?" Artemis mused aloud, "Father Zeus has been awake this whole time."

Perseus inhaled quickly and said solemnly, "Just as I suspected. It's not Zeus to which the line refers. It refers to the Sky itself, my father, Ouranos."

Artemis grew even paler, asking, "Then the vengeance he will wreak must be on Gaea and Kronos, who overthrew him."

Perseus nodded in agreement and continued, "Yes, that makes sense since 'the gods' old enemies will rise to the challenge.' But here's where we encounter the first obscurity. They could be scavenging as in saving lives, or they could be scavenging to consume them."

"If the Titans and Gaea were to fight Ouranos, the world would be left in ruins for sure... But let's pull out the information we know for sure first," Artemis suggested. The God of Destruction hummed the affirmative as she moved on, "Next, the prophecy said to beware two human emotions. We can't really be sure who they are yet, though."

Perseus picked up where she left off, "We will find out eventually. The only problem is they both have the power to save or destroy the world. Then, the only clear-cut sentence is the most obscure of all. You (or Lady Selene, which I doubt) will someday fall in love, which will bring about the true end of the world."

The Goddess of Chastity snorted in irritation, "Who says I will fall in love? I have sworn off of it, remember?"

"One never knows when, where, and with whom they can find love," Perseus pointed out, feeling a slight twinge in his gut at the thought of Artemis in love. The feeling in the pit of his stomach was enough for him to pause, but he brushed it off as friendly protection. Gathering himself together, he finished describing the rest of his thoughts, "That's the most cryptic part of the whole thing. Just assume this won't take place for at least a couple hundred years."

"You're right," Artemis agreed grudgingly, "But now we need to worry about the matter at hand. You know the Greeks and Romans will forget your warning eventually."

Perseus nodded as he looked determinedly at her, "Which is why we must be ready for any violence that may occur."

* * *

**April 12, 1861: American Civil War Era**

The explosions of artillery shells disrupted the quiet atmosphere of Fort Sumter in the early morning of April 12. The first shots of a new war had been released, a war that would wrench the United States in two. Union forces within the fort surged up bravely to defend their stronghold, but their resistance was futile.

As the capture of Fort Sumter by the Confederates commenced within the mortal world, the classical demigods clashed in a conflict of their own. Greeks and Romans butted heads in their greatest feud since ancient times, a feud that would change the course of history. Nobody could escape the repercussions of this brewing storm, not demigods, mortals, or even the gods themselves.

* * *

**That's a wrap on chapter 7! I can't say how much I appreciate all of you. It's you guys who really motivate me to continue to write, improve, and actually update. I hope the reviewers out there are content with just having questions answered either in PM or as part of the A/N as I prefer not to do individual responses in the A/N. **

**As a side note, according to the Percy Jackson Wiki, Harriet Tubman is a child of Hermes in the PJO universe. I changed it so she's a legacy because she actually has a confirmed father. I like Hermes and feel like he cares for his descendants too, not just his children. Also, I like the idea of Greek legacies, since New Rome has the only confirmed ones.**

**So, yeah... I hope you all enjoyed the chapter and please leave a review with any questions, comments, concerns, suggestions, etc. you might have! Thanks.**


	8. The Mirroring Worlds

**Hey hey! I'm back with another chapter of The Love of Destruction! I got a lot of kind reviews for the last chapter, or more specifically the prophecy. So a huge thank you for that! I'm glad you guys liked it. Someone also mentioned that Aphrodite was born after Zeus and the other gods were born, which is a good point to make. I sort of twist the facts a little to suit the plotline of the story, so, please don't assume the background presented in this fic is comparable to that of a mythology textbook or something because it's not. Also, ****I realized in my last AN that I accidentally called the Protestant Reformation the Puritan Reformation. That error's been bothering me, so I thought I'd correct it. ****Anyway, enough of my rambling. Please read and enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own PJO or HoO. All rights go to the great Rick Riordan.**

* * *

**The Mirroring Worlds**

**June 30, 1863: Gettysburg, Pennsylvania**

The luminescent moon hovered serenely in the clear night sky, shining brilliantly among the jewel-like stars, seemingly ignorant of all the misfortune that was to come. Yet the Moon herself was anything but ignorant as she peered through the darkness in the wake of her domain's gentle glow. Concern washed over her face as she spoke to her loyal companion, their hushed tones melding evenly with nature's lullaby.

The moon chariot glided along its path, guided by the silver reindeer in their celestial bronze harnesses. As Artemis voiced her thoughts to Perseus, the latter's mind was obviously elsewhere as the hum of the night began to lull him to sleep.

As the god slowly drifted to the land of Morpheus, a resounding slap tore through the midnight tranquility. A pained yelp followed as the stinging of his cheek jerked him back unceremoniously to the physical world.

"Did you listen to a word I just said?" Artemis' snapped at him, poised to slap her companion once more.

Perseus opened his mouth, paused, and sighed resignedly, "No. I'm very sorry, Milady."

The goddess snorted and rolled her eyes, "I was saying that we had passed a group of Confederate soldiers. They must be planning to attack Gettysburg."

"As much as I loathe warfare, this Civil War is a necessary evil. Without it, the United States will never move forward," Perseus nodded thoughtfully, looking down from the chariot and managing to make out a campfire with his godly vision. Suddenly, he heard Artemis let out a shuddering gasp. The God of Destruction whirled around to find her hunched over, clutching her head in agony. Perseus immediately jumped up to support her, nervously watching her sway precariously. "Artemis?" he called, draping her arm across his shoulders, "Hey, please say something, Milady."

Artemis stayed silent for about five minutes before she slowly removed her hand from her head and released a long, ragged breath. "Are you okay?" Perseus asked tentatively, knowing that he must proceed with caution from this point onward.

The auburn-haired woman raised her head and glared menacingly at the god, who paled at the sight. "Let go of my arm, you nefarious Greek god."

Perseus paled and released the goddess immediately and stepped as far away from her as he could before sweeping low into a respectful bow. "Lady Diana, a pleasure as always."

"Shut up, minor god," Diana growled, narrowing her steely eyes in hatred, "Just how do I deal with you every day?"

"You don't," Perseus muttered snidely, slapping a hand over his mouth a moment later, mentally cursing his sharp tongue.

Diana was practically trembling in fury as her metallic silver eyes glowed with a threatening yellow tint, "Would you like to repeat for me what you just said?"

The God of Destruction paled even more and stuttered, "N-No, Milady."

"Cowards, the lot of you!" the goddess roared in response, pulling out her hunting knife, "See, this is why war is necessary. The Romans, the true leaders, will finally dominate the land, and you sniveling Greeks will learn your place at last!" She leveled the silver blade toward Perseus' neck.

The god stared, wide-eyed at the weapon, knowing that he would have to pull his own weapon against his best friend's other aspect if he didn't want to end up in Tartarus. Suddenly, Diana snarled and slashed at the god. Perseus had his sword out in a flash, ready to block the attack when Diana suddenly froze, her knife mere millimeters away from blade contact. Her weapon clattered to the bottom of the chariot as her eyes screwed shut in pain. Perseus sheathed his sword and walked forward to help her, but with a wave of her hand, Perseus was knocked backward by a blast of godly power.

He felt himself get pitched out the back of the chariot, and his eyes widened. If he got thrown off, he would not be able to teleport back in because of an enchantment on the vehicle, and Diana was in no state to be driving. Flailing his arms, Perseus managed to grab onto the ledge and hang on for dear immortal life. Calming down, he tried to pull himself up. He had gotten a leg back onto the chariot when the deer chose that moment to barrel through a patch of turbulence, which tossed Perseus like a ragdoll back over the edge.

The rough air drafts continued, and Perseus found himself clinging on with one hand, almost unable to climb back up. He had managed to get two hands onto the chariot when, suddenly, something silver flew out, narrowly missing Perseus' head. Looking back, he noticed that it was Artemis' favorite hunting knife, the one that Diana had dropped once Artemis tried fighting to regain control.

Knowing how attached Artemis was to that knife, Perseus released a hand and lunged for the weapon. He felt his hand clamp down on the blade and winced as he felt the sharp metal slice through his flesh. However, he kept a firm grip on the knife and quickly tossed it back onto the chariot.

"Perseus?" he heard Artemis' voice as she recovered from her battle of wills with her Roman counterpart.

Perseus grunted as he tried to pull himself up once more. Artemis gasped as she noticed him hanging off the ledge. Dropping to her knees, she grabbed his hand and pulled, allowing him to finally clamber back into the chariot.

Perseus sighed in relief as soon as his feet touched a solid surface. Grabbing Artemis' knife, he held it out to her and said, "A token of my appreciation, Milady."

Artemis took it from him gratefully before the ichor on the blade caught her eye. She looked over at Perseus and noticed the bleeding gash on his hand. "Idiot!" she yelled, coming to a conclusion about what happened and startling Perseus out of his own thoughts.

"I didn't do it!" he answered immediately before glancing at the goddess in confusion, "What?"

"Stupid, why would you stop her attack with your bare hands? You have your own weapon to defend yourself with," she said incredulously, remembering Diana slashing at him with the knife. In her desperation, Artemis had redoubled her efforts to regain control. She thought she had stopped Diana before she hurt Perseus, but it didn't appear that way now.

Perseus looked at her blankly before he registered her meaning and started laughing, "Oh, that wasn't Lady Diana. I am solely responsible for my condition."

Artemis stared at him strangely, obviously confused.

"Your knife got thrown out of the chariot, and I…" Perseus trailed off nervously, "I, uh, I caught it."

"By the blade," Artemis scoffed, shoving a piece of ambrosia into the god's mouth, "Why would you bother to go after it?"

Perseus choked down the godly food and blushed, "Well, you really love that knife… I couldn't let it just fall out without trying to save it." He looked away, his heart pounding weirdly in his chest. After a moment of silence, Artemis threw a light punch at his shoulder. Turning back to her, Perseus whined in mock pain, "Hey! How could––?"

Artemis cut him off, feeling a blush rising as she leaned forward. Trying to be as fast as possible, she pecked him lightly on the cheek, turning even redder. Perseus was staring at her like she grew a second head before he realized what just happened. His face reddened to the shade of a ripe tomato, and he spluttered indistinctly.

"Th-Thanks," she mumbled as she stepped back. Afraid of what he would say once he vocalized his thoughts, Artemis promptly about-faced and went back to the reins, pretending to watch over her deer. From the corner of her eye, she could see her companion staring vaguely into space, mouth gaping open. Artemis slouched over the front of the chariot, silently berating herself for her actions.

_What have I done?_ She thought as she watched the ground fly by beneath her feet. But before she could wallow in her regret any longer, a figure flashed across the corner of her vision field. Focusing on the flying object, Artemis gasped and yelled, "Hermes?"

The god drew a little closer to the chariot and shouted back over the whistling wind, "Artemis, Perseus, we have a dire situation at Camp Half-Blood! Head to Long Island immediately!" Artemis noticed the worry and fear etched in every line on the messenger god's face and paled, wondering what could possibly be so bad.

"What happened?" Perseus asked, taking the words right out of Artemis' mouth.

"The Romans are attacking!" Hermes wailed, "We need to help in any way we can!"

"What!" Artemis said uneasily, knowing that the casualties would be extensive if the demigods unleashed their true powers upon each other.

"Please hurr––," Suddenly, the flying god grunted in pain, clutching his head in his hands. Artemis knew what was happening in an instant and tried to make a grab for her half-brother, but he was just outside of her reach. She tried to figure out a safe way to get Hermes safely to the ground, but Perseus cut right to the chase. Leaping over the side of the chariot, he plummeted down after the other god, trying to overtake him.

Artemis stared wide-eyed at the falling figures before taking the reins and spurring the deer to go faster. A minute later, a hovering image of Perseus materialized in front of her. Recognizing it as an Iris Message, Artemis carefully avoided disturbing the picture and asked frantically, "Perseus, are you okay? How's Hermes?"

The image lagged a little, but the god's voice emanated through a moment later, "Yeah, you don't need to worry about me. I caught up to him and teleported us to the ground, but Hermes is in quite a bit of pain."

As Artemis listened, she could clearly make out her half-brother's groaning in the background, "He hasn't changed yet, I'm guessing."

Perseus shook his head, "No, not yet. But I'm scared about what will happen once he does. It's quite well-known that the Romans don't quite like the Greeks right now."

Artemis frowned, "Maybe if you switch to your Roman form, you'd be safe?"

The god grimaced, "I can't risk it. With how strong the Roman influence has gotten recently, I don't think I'd be able to get back in control in time to help anything. I'll just try to fight him off if he attacks. Just get to Camp as quickly as possible. I'll meet you there."

Suddenly, there was a shout from behind Perseus, "You filthy Greek!" Mercury loomed up from the shadows, swinging his caduceus at the older god. Perseus sensed the blow and ducked out of the way. The staff sliced through the Iris Message, prematurely ending the conversation. As the projection ended, Artemis bit her lip worriedly and refocused on steering her chariot. Praying that Perseus would be all right, she continued toward New York, driving the deer unrelentingly in her haste.

* * *

**June 30, 1863: Camp Half-Blood**

"Chiron!" Artemis called as she landed her chariot beside the abandoned archery range. Inspecting the area, she noticed all the demigods rushing around, frantically gathering weapons and armor to defend their home. Several children of Apollo rushed to the supply shed and emerged with armfuls of bows and arrows. A son of Zeus burst out of his cabin, gripping a long sword nervously as he donned his war helmet.

Despite the hectic atmosphere, the centaur emerged from the Big House dutifully, trotting over to Artemis and bowing, "Lady Artemis. It is wonderful to have you here. We humbly beseech you to help us defend the camp. I am assuming Lord Hermes brought you up-to-date on what is happening. Although, where is Perseus? He should be here with you."

"He and Hermes got sidetracked," Artemis said, trying not to betray the worry she really felt in the situation, "He will meet up with us once he handles the situation." Chiron frowned, sensing there was more to the story, but he chose not to pry. Artemis thought for a moment and said, "Would you like me to call the Hunt to aid the campers?"

"No need. We are here already," a very familiar voice called.

"Zoe," Artemis said, "How did you know to come here?"

"Lord Hermes is very efficient," Zoe complimented grudgingly, inspecting her hunting knife nonchalantly.

Artemis nodded in agreement and told her lieutenant, "Rally and arm the Hunters. I have business I need to attend to."

"Yes Milady," the girl curtsied and ran off to her cabin.

"Chiron, I need to speak with you in the Big House. Follow me," Artemis commanded, walking briskly toward the wooden building.

She led the centaur to the meeting room, only to find a team composed of Athena's demigods and Ares' demigods engaging in a heated debate over their go-to battle strategy. Scowling, Artemis scoured the rooms until she found the empty kitchens. Closing the doors and turning to Chiron, she said regretfully, "I am very sorry to say that us gods will be of little use in this battle," at the centaur's confused expression, Artemis continued, "Tell me, do you remember when the Roman Empire conquered Greece?"

Chiron furrowed his bushy eyebrows, "Yes, how could I forget?"

"Then you must recall how the gods became incapacitated and were of no help in the war."

Chiron paled, "Your Roman forms were beginning to overtake your Greek ones. Is that happening again?"

"Unfortunately," Artemis sighed, feeling a familiar headache blossoming once more as if to add insult to injury, "I can feel it already. Diana is attempting to fight to become the dominant aspect. This means the gods are at war with themselves and are becoming incapacitated by pain as a result. With the battle looming ever closer, the conflicting sides will clash even more. Unfortunately, it will be up to the demigods alone to decide this war."

The centaur's eyes dulled, and he seemed to age several hundred years in an instant. The worry that had been wearing at him for months finally began to show. He frowned, massaging his temples in a vain attempt to relieve the stress. "The Romans will have arrived by morning. I can only pray that we will emerge from this victorious."

"I would not dwell on that too much," Perseus suddenly appeared in the doorway of the kitchens with Hermes slumped against his shoulder. Setting the messenger god into a chair, he walked over to the conversing duo with a tired grin, "The Romans won't be doing much for a while."

Artemis stared at him suspiciously, "Are you okay? What did you do?"

Perseus looked highly offended as he glanced back at her innocently, "By the gods! Why do you always assume I did something?"

"Because you normally do," Artemis deadpanned, "So, what happened?"

"Believe it or not, I didn't have to do anything this time," Perseus sniffed with exaggerated dignity, forcing Artemis to hold back a snort, "You have the monsters to thank for that."

"What do you mean, Lord Perseus?" Chiron asked curiously, wondering how monsters could have contributed to their wonderful stroke of luck.

"Well, I teleported Hermes to some woods in northern New Jersey so we would be closer to home, but wouldn't make a scene. As soon as we got to solid ground, Mercury took over and attacked me. Thankfully, Hermes managed to get back in control, but he passed out," Perseus pointed to the unconscious god in the chair and continued, "Long story short, I heard the Roman demigods making a ruckus. It turns out they were attacked by a large horde of monsters, which thoroughly decimated their ranks. It will be a while before they recover fully."

Chiron let out a sigh of relief and cantered off to inform the Greeks of their great luck. Artemis then turned to Hermes, who had started stirring. Gently shaking him, she muttered, "Hey, Hermes. Wake up."

The god blinked blearily up at her and shot up, "Camp is under attack! Why are you guys standing around…? Where are we?"

Artemis rolled her eyes, "We're in the Big House's kitchen. Calm down. The Romans got stopped by some monsters. No battle today."

Hermes still looked confused as though he didn't believe that to be true, "But…"

"Be happy, idiot. I'm not lying," Artemis said exasperatedly, beginning to walk toward the door, "Come on, Perseus."

Perseus clapped Hermes on the back as he went after the moon goddess, enjoying the younger god's lost expression, "Don't worry. You'll figure it out eventually."

"I'll take your word for it," Hermes sighed and teleported away.

Artemis led Perseus out to the archery range, where her chariot was still nicely parked. Climbing in, she looked at the god, "Zeus is calling a meeting. Would you like to come with me back to Olympus or stay here at Camp?"

"I'll go with you," Perseus said with a teasing grin, turning around and declaring arrogantly, "After all, I can't leave the great Lady Artemis all alone, can I?"

The goddess' silver eyes flashed in irritation and she said, "Fine, you are staying here."

"Oh, come on! Take a joke, Milady!" he said amusedly, looking back at Artemis only to find her chariot soaring away into the distance, "Hey! Wait, Artemis! I'm sorry, I didn't mean it!"

He ran futilely after her until he reached the Camp property line and huffed in annoyance. As soon as he stopped to think, he mentally slapped himself, "Gods, I'm stupid." He quickly visualized Olympus' location and released his true form, vanishing from his spot in a flash of light.

* * *

**June 30, 1863: Olympus**

Perseus reappeared in the half-empty throne room with the majority of the Olympians present bickering amongst themselves. He glanced around and saw Artemis sitting in her throne, looking mildly irritated, but otherwise showing no indication that she even acknowledged what was happening before her. She noticed Perseus immediately and her features molded into a scowl. Clenching her fists, the goddess seemed uncertain whether to go yell at him or ignore him. Choosing the latter option, Artemis sniffed and turned her head away.

"I'm sorry, Milady. Staying at Camp Half-Blood did not seem to be a very appealing option," Perseus tried to appease her, but it was no use. He gave up and turned around to examine the rest of the gods. The only other divinity there who was not engaged in some form of conflict was Aphrodite, who had chosen instead to observe Perseus' and Artemis' exchange curiously. Once she noticed him looking, Aphrodite gave her brother a smug grin and beckoned him over.

The god shuffled over cautiously and asked emotionlessly, "What is it, Sister?"

"A lover's quarrel is it not?" she asked innocently, smirking deviously.

"I don't have time to deal with this right now," Perseus sighed exasperatedly, preparing to go back to Artemis' throne, "So, if you'll excuse me."

Aphrodite fiddled with the ribbon on her bonnet and whispered suddenly, "Hey Perseus, have you ever wanted to meet Father?"

Perseus had to strain to hear the question, and once he registered her words, he whirled back toward his sister, asking sharply, "What?"

The goddess rearranged her frilly skirts across her lap, seemingly unsure whether to continue, "I-I think… It's just…"

"Well? Spit it out already," Perseus said irritably, "And once you do, never mention Father to me again." He stood there impatiently, praying that it was simply Aphrodite's curiosity that prompted her to ask. If there was some hidden meaning behind it, it would not end well.

Aphrodite paused, gathering her thoughts. In the meantime, several more gods had appeared. Noticing the meeting about to begin, the Goddess of Love looked Perseus in the eye and said, "Meet me in my palace once we dismiss."

Perseus frowned but nodded resignedly and retreated back to Artemis' side. Zeus arrived a moment later in a dramatic burst of lightning. The moment his eyes landed on Perseus, he thundered, "What is that minor god doing here?"

Artemis looked over at Perseus and sighed, "I invited him here. Please ignore him." Perseus shot her a grateful smile. Artemis' cheeks reddened slightly, and she looked away uncomfortably.

Zeus watched the exchange, completely livid, but he heeded his daughter's advice and ignored Perseus. Continuing in his usual booming voice, he declared, "I, King of the Gods, call this meeting to order!" He pointed his Master Bolt toward the ceiling and fired it. The resounding crash grabbed the attention of all the bickering gods, who fell into silence immediately.

"As you may have heard, the Greeks have avoided conflict with the Romans today. However, we are now left with a new problem," he said darkly, leaning back into his throne, "You all know well that the mortal and mythical worlds mirror one another. While our world evaded a major catastrophe, the mortal world had nothing to interfere. Now starts a major battle in the American Civil War. The Union may not win this one either. We cannot let the Confederate States and their Roman supporters win. Also, from what I have seen of the battle thus far, it has the potential to be one of the most destructive in American history. We must intervene."

Zeus glared over at Perseus as though he were blaming him for the disaster of war. Perseus stared back levelly, daring the arrogant king to give voice to his thoughts. "Meeting dismissed!" Zeus shouted suddenly, withdrawing from the stare-down angrily and disappearing in a crack of thunder. Athena sputtered in frustration as the discussion ended before anybody even had a chance to speak. The other gods and goddesses simply left happily, despite Zeus' orders to interfere in mortal matters, thankful for the first short council meeting in over a century.

Perseus smirked at his victory and began to walk away. However, before he even went two steps, a vice grip on his wrist forced him to turn around. Artemis was eyeing him suspiciously, "Where are you sneaking off to, Perseus?"

The god paled, trying to come up with an excuse for her to let him leave, "I, um, I have something to do?"

"What is so important that you have to sneak around to do it?" Artemis raised an eyebrow, "And don't bother lying to me."

Knowing he was caught, Perseus sighed, "Fine, Aphrodite asked me to meet her in her palace. She was going to tell me something, and I think it's important."

"Then I'm coming too," Artemis made up her mind, dragging Perseus along with her and ignoring his protests, "It's not every day that she has something important to say."

* * *

**June 30, 1863: Gettysburg, Pennsylvania**

As the sun broke over the horizon, casting its brilliant rays over the land, the Civil War finally reached its turning point. The simple skirmish started as any other would have. However, the fighting soon escalated beyond anyone's control. The first of three days of vicious battle had finally begun.

As the Romans retreated from their failed invasion of the Greek camp, the Battle of Gettysburg erupted extravagantly as Confederate troops clashed with those of the Union. The mirror had cracked, and the mortal and mythological worlds suddenly became the separate sides of the crossroads.

* * *

**Tada! I hope you enjoyed the Pertemis finally coming into the story a bit more. If you're dying to say something about the story (or you just want to say hi to me ;) ) just write down your comment and send me a review! I love you guys' feedback, and it makes me a better writer, so please don't be shy. Catch ya later!**


	9. The Real Threat Emerges

**Hello again after like half a year! Yeah, I know. I got really busy and I have the worst case of writer's block imaginable. I am really sorry. I was also debating whether to wait even longer until I could write a longer chapter to update again, but I felt like I left y'all hanging for too long. This is a shorter chapter, but it's better than nothing, right? Also, please read the AN at the end, it's got some important info. On that note... Enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own PJO or HoO. Those belong to Rick Riordan.**

* * *

**The Real Threat Emerges**

**June 30, 1863: Aphrodite's Temple, Olympus**

"Why did you bring _her _here?" Aphrodite asked snidely, glaring daggers at Artemis, who stared right back. The goddess of love sniffed and returned her attention back to the mirror in her hand, gently dabbing at her face with a wad of cotton.

Perseus shifted uncomfortably in the gaudy pink chair he was sitting on, "That is irrelevant. Now, what did you wish to talk to me about?"

Aphrodite glanced over arrogantly at her brother, scrutinizing him critically, "I will not talk with one of Zeus' little minions spying on us." She threw a pointed look at Artemis, disposing of her cotton ball deftly. "I cannot risk her running back and blabbing to anyone about what she witnessed here today."

Artemis gasped indignantly, but Perseus cut off her protests with a sigh, "Must you always make life difficult, Aphrodite?"

"Yes," she answered coyly, beginning to powder her nose.

Perseus sighed again and turned to Artemis, "Milady, if you would."

The moon goddess seemed ready to protest, but she found herself unable to object under Perseus' pleading gaze. Artemis huffed irritably and sat back into her seat, crossing her arms. "I swear on the River Styx to not breathe a word I hear in this room to anybody.'" She sneered derisively at Aphrodite at the end of the oath as a crack of thunder was heard to seal the deal.

Aphrodite seemed satisfied with Artemis' response and turned to Perseus, "You too, Perseus."

The god's blood ran cold. He hesitated for a moment, loath to make such a binding oath, but he realized he would get nowhere if he objected. "I swear on the Styx to not breathe a word I hear in this room to the gods," he muttered, hearing the characteristic crash of thunder.

Aphrodite frowned slightly and shook her head, pointing her newly-acquired lipstick at him like she would a sword. "That's not good enough!" she sang childishly, "Say the oath exactly as Artemis said hers."

"Since when did you get so cunning?" Perseus hissed, narrowing his eyes at his sister, "That is quite uncharacteristic of you."

"I must do so to protect Father," the goddess said as she began to smear on her lipstick, "Now redo the vow."

Perseus growled lowly and rephrased his oath to mimic Artemis'. Once he finished, he clamped his jaw shut and stared levelly at his sister until she began squirming uncomfortably. She cleared her throat and said, "Good. Now shall we begin?"

"Yes, Sister, get on with it," Perseus forced through his teeth, tired of the excessive ceremony behind the entire ordeal.

At this point, the love goddess adopted a somewhat nervous demeanor as she tapped her impeccably shaped nails on the surface of her vanity. Opening and closing her mouth a few times, Aphrodite finally blurted out, "Father is waking!"

The words seeped sluggishly into Perseus' brain, and an unpleasant sensation began gnawing at his stomach. The words of the prophecy from that fateful day rang in his ears deafeningly. "Yes, and?" he said, trying to uphold his nonchalant attitude.

"I-I'm helping him," Aphrodite declared resolutely, staring Perseus straight in the eye in an attempt to convey the conviction in her words, "He will rise again and exact the vengeance he truly deserves."

Neither Perseus nor Artemis could find the words to respond to that as they gaped openly at the goddess. Aphrodite flushed a little as she continued, "Father Ouranos has spoken to me and reached out to me. He promised me that no harm would come to the gods. He promised…"

"He promised what?" Perseus demanded urgently, glaring at his sister sternly.

"He-He promised he only wishes to eradicate the Titans and Gaea, who dared to defy him."

Perseus was beginning to feel anger and fear course through him, but Artemis beat him to the punch. "You idiot!" she snapped, pointing toward the other goddess, "Do you know what will happen if any of the Titans and Primordials were truly destroyed? Do you understand the repercussions to nature? The universe?"

"Of course I do, but I don't care!" Aphrodite shrieked, driving herself into a frenzy, "I don't care because helping Father is the right thing to do!"

"His motives are not pure!" Perseus yelled, clenching his fists, "What could possibly prompt you to support this? Is destruction what you really want? I thought you cannot stand for anything that I represent, yet here you are, working against all your own beliefs. And for what purpose?"

"It _is _for my own beliefs that I do what I do!" the goddess cried, "I am the Goddess of Love! No matter the fact I had never known him until recently, Father Ouranos is still my father, _our _father! His ichor runs through our veins; therefore, I love him, and you should too."

"I hold no love for a person who is shallow enough to imprison his children in Tartarus simply for having undesirable facial features," the God of Destruction stated, "Even though his blood is my blood, I will not let that define me. I will work for my own beliefs, and you may do what you feel is right in the pursuit of yours."

"What are you saying, Brother?" Aphrodite whispered, tears beginning to pool in her eyes.

Perseus stared vacantly into her eyes and elaborated, "I am saying that we should pursue our own goals, and since those goals conflict, I hereby declare you my enemy. This is goodbye, Aphrodite." He stood up from his seat and strode to the door, grasping onto the handle that would grant him his freedom from the present nightmare.

Before he could leave, however, Aphrodite sniffled with tears coating her voice thickly, "P-Perseus, I might not show it, but you are s-still my brother. I al-always have and always w-will love you."

The god struggled to contain the emotions boiling in his own heart as he responded, "As do I." He pushed open the door and prepared to exit, but stopped one last time, tears threatening to fall at any given moment, "Answer me this, Aphrodite: How long have you been working with Ouranos?"

"Immediately after the issuing of that prophecy," Aphrodite sobbed, "I have been searching for a way to revive him ever since."

"Then I hope many centuries pass before you succeed," Perseus muttered, stepping out into the world and holding the door open for Artemis. The moon goddess glanced back and forth between the sibling deities and somberly followed Perseus back outside. As the two walked down the road to the gates of Olympus, the tears of Destruction finally descended upon the earth.

* * *

**November 15, 1864: Atlanta, Georgia**

Deep in the forests surrounding the city of Atlanta, Perseus and Artemis sprawled upon beds of pine needles, examining what little light that managed to pierce through the dense foliage of the forest. The only noise to be heard for miles was the chirrup of crickets and the soft rustling of leaves as the wind whistled softly by. Occasionally, the howl of a wolf or the scurrying of diminutive paws disrupted the tranquility infinitesimally. Nevertheless, the world was at peace.

Or so it wished.

As nature's concerto slowly lulled Perseus to sleep, Artemis released an almost imperceptible sigh and sat up, gazing down at her friend. "Perseus," she whispered, gently tapping his shoulder, "I need to talk to you."

With a mighty yawn, Perseus roused and pushed himself up as well. "Yes, Artemis?" he asked expectantly, devoting what small amount of attention he still maintained to whatever the goddess hoped to say. As he examined her face, Perseus noted the creased brow and worried glimmer in her eye, "What's wrong?"

"I can't take this anymore. We, we have to warn them," Artemis whispered, fiddling with her hunting knife nervously, "about the thing."

Perseus immediately caught onto the meaning of the goddess' vague words, but he feigned ignorance, "Warn who about what?"

The moon goddess' almost luminescent silver eyes glowered over at him and she huffed irritatedly, "You know what I mean. What will we do about it?"

Perseus glanced over at a nearby tree guiltily, "We swore an oath. There is nothing we can do."

Artemis' brow furrowed a little more, "Yes, we swore an oath, but all oaths have loopholes. We just have to locate the ones in ours."

Perseus closed his eyes in distress and shook his head, "No, no. It's no use. Our oaths were perfect. There is no loophole at all, or none that I can find in the past few months anyway."

"Precisely, so that means there is a loophole, right?" Artemis asked urgently, on the verge of panic. She was unable to even imagine what would happen if the gods became embroiled in a battle of such caliber unprepared.

Perseus scoffed bitterly, "No, I have still had enough experience and tutoring from the Fates to know that in this case, there is not. We will abide by this oath for eternity, lest we wish to take a pleasant trip to Tartarus."

To Artemis, the world seemed to be on the verge of collapse. Never in her long life had she ever felt so much like a cornered animal, so helpless to the whims of the Fates. The oath had reduced her to nothing more than a trembling mouse under their oppression. The hunter had become the hunted, and Artemis would not allow that. Turning her steely gaze onto Perseus, she snapped, "Well, if you wish to give up, fine. I, for one, will not!"

Perseus dragged a hand over his face tiredly, "There is _nothing _we can do. I've tried every-,"

Suddenly, a loud slap echoed through the clearing. Several birds startled out of a nearby tree, squabbling in panic. As the noise faded away, the area was plunged into an icy silence. Artemis seemed to almost exude a frigid wind as she stood cradling her hand against her chest and glaring at Perseus fiercely.

Perseus simply sat there, stunned. He could feel the smarting handprint begin to blossom upon his face. Bringing a hand up to touch his sensitive cheek, he directed his own indignant gaze upon Artemis, "Why did you do that?"

Artemis scowled, "What happened to you?"

The God of Destruction's brow furrowed as he pointed to his face, "You happened, what else?"

"Don't sass me, Perseus! You aren't acting like yourself. The Perseus I know would not have given up so easily, if at all. Yet you're here giving up without trying _anything_! What is wrong with you?"

Perseus sighed resignedly, "I don't know myself. But life is the way it is. There is nothing we can do. These are powers greater than the gods."

"Your grief is speaking, not the real Perseus. I know losing Aphrodite hurts. I remember being angry with Apollo when he overloaded your powers in our first meeting. I didn't look or talk to him in weeks. Even that hurt the both of us. But we got through it with our heads held high. I know you can do the same."

Perseus turned his head away in shame. He sensed the truth in Artemis' words, but he could not ascribe to them. "I know you are right, but the world is just crumbling around me. I do not know what to do anymore. I could never have expected Aphrodite, of all people, to betray the gods like that. I feel that there must be a reason for her to be doing this."

"You heard her, Perseus. Her love for your father is greater than her love for the gods. I know it is a lot to take in, but it is the truth. I see no other reason why Aphrodite would suddenly change like that, unless…" Artemis' eyes widened as a possibility dawned upon her and she slowly trailed off, "Unless somebody else was influencing her."

She glanced over pointedly to see Perseus with her own look of horrified shock masking his features. "Ares," he breathed, looking like the puzzle pieces of life suddenly fell into place. Slowly, a humorless smile began forming on his face as he began laughing bitterly, "Ha, he's in Atlanta. This is great. If you'll excuse me, Milady, I'm going to go destroy that snivelling war god!" He stood up shakily and began to glow in preparation to teleport.

Artemis jumped up in alarm as she realized his intent, "No, no, no. Perseus! Don't you dare…"

The god levelled vivid blood red eyes at her, and her breath hitched in mild fear. She had never seen the god quite so angry in her entire life. It was as if the knowledge that Ares had influenced his sister to betray them had caused something in him to snap. And as Artemis thought about it, it made sense. The Civil War had taken a great toll on Perseus as he was continuously assaulted by the hatred and tensions of both the mythical and mortal worlds. It was time he released all the pent-up power.

Swallowing her hesitation, Artemis whispered, "Please stop, Perseus. Think of the consequences. You will be banished to Tartarus! Stop this."

His steely gaze softened slightly, but Perseus shook his head, "I cannot. I cannot forgive Ares for his disloyalty and corrupting my sister. For that, he will pay." The glow intensified, and in a burst of red light, he was gone.

Artemis stood glued to her spot in shocked. Shaking herself out of her daze, she uttered a foul curse and followed her reckless companion. "If you do something stupid, Perseus, you will be wishing for Tartarus once I get my hands on you," she muttered darkly, teleporting away as well in pursuit of the other immortal.

She reappeared in the middle of a warzone, quite literally. There were Union soldiers streaming through the streets, locked in battle with the Confederates. Scanning the area closely, Artemis managed to find Perseus perched on the roof of a nearby house. She caught his eye, and he shook his head stubbornly. Waving her fist angrily, Artemis gathered her powers and teleported to where he sitting.

"Perseus, stop!" She yelled the moment she materialized next to him, "The mortals are in the middle of a battle. You remember what happened last time you lost control during a war?"

Perseus' eyes widened infinitesimally, seemingly remembering the Trojan War fiasco, but he set his lips into a stubborn frown a minute later. "Ares needs to face his punishment. And speak of the devil…" he scowled, pointing to a point in the streets.

Artemis peered around his finger to find the war god strolling leisurely through the throngs of soldiers. He was carrying a pistol and casually gunning down random soldiers as he passed. Seeing that, Artemis felt an intense hatred rear up in her heart. Thoughts of consequence disappeared entirely from her mind and she stared at Perseus. He looked back pointedly and, with a vicious nod, teleported away. Artemis followed suit readily, drawing her hunting knives.

"Ares!" Perseus roared as he appeared behind the war god.

Ares whirled around wildly and pointed his gun at his opponents. Noticing that it was Perseus, he lowered the weapon again and laughed, "Hello again, punk."

Perseus gritted his teeth and hissed, "You're calling me the punk? Who's the one who coerced my sister into betraying Olympus?"

"Betraying?" Ares sneered, "Am I really? We simply teamed up with the Primordials to defeat the gods' greatest enemies."

"Save it for daddy," Perseus growled, pulling out his sword, "Did you even consider the consequences?"

Ares snorted in disbelief, "What consequences? Becoming a hero for arranging an alliance to defeat some enemies?"

"The whole world will be destroyed with a war like that!" Artemis interjected angrily, brandishing her knife, "I didn't realize even you could be that stupid."

Ares snarled and loaded his gun threateningly, "What'd you call me?"

"Stupid," Artemis repeated slowly, as if she were talking to a dense child, "And you'll look even more stupid once the gods find out about this."

The war god sneered, "Oh, I would be scared... but the gods didn't already know about my plan."

"What?" Artemis' eyes widened, "What are you talking about?"

"When was the last time you went to a council meeting?" Ares asked snarkily, swinging his gun around his calloused finger, "I told the gods at the last one, and Zeus supports the idea completely. He's already put Athena on the job of figuring out how to revive Ouranos."

In that instant, Artemis' world stopped turning. She turned away in shock and teleported away to Olympus.

* * *

**Well, I can't say anything more than sorry. That was a lot shorter than I thought it would be, but I sorta realized I have no idea where this story is going. I definitely need a little break from updating to continue planning this out. There is no way I'm ditching this story, but I don't think I will be updating for another long while. Again, I'm super sorry, but I would rather write a good story that we can all enjoy over a half-hearted one that I can't be proud of. I hope you guys understand, and thank you so much for bearing with me on this little literary journey. Hope to see you soon (-ish).**


	10. An End and a New Beginning

**Hello again, guys! Wow, it's been a year. I cannot tell you how sorry I am for leaving you hanging like that. Thank you so much for sticking with me through all this time. It truly means so much to me. And here we go, our next installment! I finally have this story planned out, and it gets extremely complex. I'm considering breaking it up into multiple stories, but I don't really like that idea. The chapters are, unfortunately, not prewritten, so updates still depend on my schedule (which sadly isn't looking light anytime soon) and level of motivation to write. I'll still do my best to update whenever possible, though. Anyway, enough of this, on with the story! Enjoy! Reviews are always welcome! *hint, hint***

**Disclaimer: I don't own the plots or characters of PJO and HoO. All rights go to Rick Riordan. **

* * *

**_Previously:_**

_"Betraying Olympus?" Ares sneered, "Are we really? We simply teamed up with the Primordials to defeat the gods' greatest enemies."_

_"Save it for daddy," Perseus growled, pulling out his sword, "Did you even consider the consequences?"_

_Ares snorted in disbelief, "What consequences? Becoming a hero for arranging an alliance to defeat some enemies?"_

_"The whole world will be destroyed with a war like that!" Artemis interjected angrily, brandishing her knife, "I didn't realize even you could be that stupid."_

_Ares snarled and loaded his gun threateningly, "What'd you call me?"_

_"Stupid," Artemis repeated slowly, as if she were talking to a dense child, "And you'll look even more stupid once the gods find out about this."_

_The war god sneered, "Oh, I would be scared... if the gods didn't already know about my plan."_

_"What?" Artemis' eyes widened, "What are you talking about?"_

_"When was the last time you went to a council meeting?" Ares asked snarkily, swinging his gun around his calloused finger, "I told the gods at the last one, and Zeus supports the idea completely. He's already put Athena on the job of figuring out how to revive Ouranos."_

* * *

**An End and a New Beginning**

**November 15, 1864: Olympus**

"Athena! Athena!" Artemis called, knocking frantically on the goddess' door, "Athena, open the door!" There was no answer. Deciding to forego civility, Artemis teleported herself into her half sister's palace. She was greeted by the sight of an enormous library. It seemed the entire place served no other purpose than to hold books. Shelves upon shelves of ancient and modern literature lined the walls. A comfortable armchair and couch furnished the center of the living room area. But there was no sign of Athena.

Artemis scowled. She had come all the way out here to find the goddess' palace deserted. Wracking her brains as to where else her sister could be, the moon goddess arrived at the only other logical location: the Olympian Library. Artemis herself had only ever set foot in there a handful of times, but with its hundreds of thousands of gilded shelves and writings dating all the way back to the beginning of written language, it surpassed even Athena's impressive collection. Picturing the library in her mind's eye, Artemis disappeared in a flash of light.

She reappeared on a tabletop amidst a large pile of books. Artemis clambered quickly to her feet, causing a column of precariously-set books to collapse upon itself. Artemis winced, apologizing profusely to whoever those books belonged to without looking up. Jumping down lightly to the floor, Artemis finally lifted her gaze, only to meet the stormy grey stare of the Goddess of Wisdom herself. "Athena!" Artemis gasped. She waved her hand, and the books returned to their original positions. Clearing her throat and trying to recover what was left of her dignity, Artemis said sternly, "We need to talk."

"Can this not wait? I'm very busy at the moment," Athena replied, focusing her eyes back on the book cradled in her hand. She said nothing more as she flipped through the pages at inhuman speeds. Artemis clenched her teeth in fury as the other goddess blatantly ignored her. Artemis reminded herself exactly what she had to talk about before snatching Athena's book out of her hands. Artemis snapped it shut, watching as a small cloud of dust spewed forth from the pages. Glaring hard at Athena, Artemis growled, "This is serious, Athena."

"Yes, yes, I know what you're going to tell me already," Athena waved the moon goddess off, "You're going to give me a lecture about how reviving Ouranos will destroy the world." Athena picked up her book and flipped back to the page she was stopped at. Fixing her grey eyes on Artemis, she asked knowingly, "Am I right?"

"Precisely," Artemis frowned, "If you knew all that already, why are you still following through with your insane plan? Do you know how delicate the balance of nature is? Do you understand the repercussions of doing anything to the powers that maintain that balance?"

"Of course I do," Athena remarked, returning her attention to her book.

"Well, it doesn't seem like you care!" Artemis exclaimed in frustration, "I'm sorry, Athena. But you are hellbent on desecrating something very dear to me, and I will not stand for it. I'm sure you already know that one of my domains is the natural environment?"

"Certainly," Athena replied curtly with a tinge of boredom coloring her voice. Artemis resisted the urge to draw her bow and shoot the goddess to Greece and back. "If that is all you wished to say, may I go back to researching in peace?" The Goddess of Wisdom drawled.

"Athena, open your eyes! Why are you doing this?" Artemis cried, clenching her fists until her knuckles turned white. She rounded her sharpest glare on Athena, who sighed and set down her book again.

"Sister, the answer is simple. I doubt you are dull, but anyone with half a brain can see that the benefits of eliminating Gaea and the Titans far outweigh the risks to nature," Athena explained, "You see, by gaining the help of the Protogenoi to destroy them, we will have defeated the gods' greatest enemies: the Titans, Gaea, and by extent the Giants." Artemis was loath to admit it, but her sister's reasoning was sound. However, in her heart, she knew that what the gods sought was not the correct course of action.

"What will you do about the natural elements that will suddenly be uncontrolled if the Titans are eradicated? What about the Giants if Gaea is killed? They will not simply sit there in depression if that were to happen. Rather, they would be snapping at our throats for blood. Think, Sister, isn't that what you are supposedly good at?" Artemis retorted hotly, not willing to back down until she had changed the mind of possibly the most stubborn goddesses to walk the earth.

"Another set of minor details," Athena shrugged, "We can simply assign the uncontrolled elements to other gods and goddesses before any harm to nature can occur. Anyway, with Gaea gone, the Giants will not be a problem since they wouldn't be half as smart without her."

Artemis breathed out impatiently from her nose, "That is not how domains work. The Fates grant the domains to whomever they deem fit to control them. You cannot simply pluck a stray deity from the streets of Olympus and grant one to him."

"I can make it work," Athena said nonchalantly before adding quietly, "And besides, I have to. Zeus's will affords me no other option." Artemis knew she had touched on something the goddess had not thought up a solution for yet. The moon goddess could tell how troubled Athena was by the matter by the small crease between her brows, but Artemis chose not to comment. Instead, she stood up with a stony-faced expression and strode out of the library without a word.

She had heard enough.

* * *

**November 15, 1864: Atlanta, Georgia**

"What did you say?" Perseus growled dangerously, "You told the gods…"

"And they were in full support!" Ares gloated, swinging his sword around leisurely. The blade clipped one of the soldiers around them in the shoulder, and the mortal clamped a hand over the wound with a shout. He glared up at Ares, probably seeing the god as an opponent due to the Mist, and grabbed his pistol. Ares sneered in contempt and swung his sword at the man. Perseus turned around, not wishing to witness the heartless kill.

"You are despicable," Perseus hissed.

Ares simply laughed idiotically, "So I've been told." He stabbed his bloodstained sword into the ground and leaned on it like a cane, "So are we gonna chit-chat, or are we gonna fight, _Lord Perseus_?"

Perseus drew his sword and sheathe and snarled, "Oh, we'll be fighting for sure. Don't think I haven't forgotten why I came here in the first place. Destroying the gods' futures is one thing, brainwashing my sister is an entirely different matter." The two gods lowered themselves into fighting stances, slowly beginning to circle one another. Ares, always the impatient one, struck first. He slashed at Perseus with a powerful blow, but for all the power behind the attack, it was still too slow. Perseus evaded easily, responding with his own crippling counter-offensive when he noticed Ares over balance. Smacking the war god with his sheath, Perseus watched in satisfaction as his opponent flinched, giving Perseus an opening to throw a series of slashes and stabs. Perseus saw the ichor flowing from Ares' wounds, and it only added fuel to the fire. All the animosity Perseus felt for the god came pouring out. The voice of reason told Perseus that he was going too far, that maybe he should stop, but he brushed it off. He needed to vent.

But as the hate slowly took over, Perseus' judgement clouded over. His attacks became more volatile and unpredictable, but also much sloppier. Ares saw his chance for a counterattack. Parrying one of Perseus' wild slashes, he deftly cut Perseus on the shoulder. The God of Destruction hissed in pain, but the injury cleared his head a little. Cleaning up his messy moves, Perseus bore back down on Ares. The war god shrunk back in fear as he saw the dark figure with narrowed red eyes regain the upper hand. Perseus lifted his sword, making like he was going to slash at Ares. However, he stopped, muttering darkly to himself, "No, as fun as beating a war god at his own game would be, I need to make this fast." Perseus put away his weapon, much to Ares' confusion.

With a snap of his fingers, Perseus summoned a vicious tornado, which swallowed Ares whole. Perseus could hear his opponent's shouts as the knife-like winds sliced at their victim's flesh. The cyclone whirled faster and faster before subsiding a moment later to reveal an unconscious Ares. Perseus smirked, "How'd you like it, Ares? Beaten by this old god." He quickly bound the god's hands and feet in celestial bronze chains and dragged the war god to a nearby ally.

Taking a deep breath, Perseus shoved a chunk of ambrosia into Ares' mouth and waited for him to regain consciousness. The adrenaline and uncontrolled power in Perseus' veins was slowly dissipating. He could feel himself slowly reverting back to his normal state, but he decided to keep the glowing red eyes for the time being. They were good for intimidation purposes, he reasoned. A gravelly groan drew Perseus' attention back to the present. Ares slowly blinked, still groggy from his unconsciousness. Suddenly, the god realized the position he was in and began thrashing around wildly, cursing.

"Oh, shut up!" Perseus barked, getting quite fed up with the god before him, "I won't hurt you without reason. That's your job."

"What're you saying, scum?" Ares sneered.

"Ah, nevermind," Perseus waved the question off, "You are going to tell me how far your insane plan has progressed. Or else…"

"What happened to that 'I won't hurt you' crap, Prissy?"

Perseus clucked his tongue, "I said I wouldn't hurt you without reason. Not answering my question is classified as a reason for me to hurt you. I'm sure you wouldn't like to get on my bad side, now would you?" Perseus channeled more power, making his eyes glow brighter. Definitely a good method of intimidation, he decided, giving himself a mental pat on the back.

Ares talked right then and there, "I don't know!"

"Excuse me?" Perseus asked incredulously.

"Father took over the operation immediately after I revealed it to him. Only he knows all the details of it, and he hasn't shared any of it with us yet," Ares said rather bitterly, "There's a council meeting tonight. If you and your little moon goddess girlfriend stopped traipsing through the wilderness long enough to actually attend one, you might learn something."

"It would do you good to show more respect when speaking of Lady Artemis. But thanks for the heads up. See you tonight, old boy!" Perseus smirked, clapping the other god on the shoulder much harder than was necessary. With a slight wave, Perseus teleported away, ignoring Ares' shouts when he realized he wouldn't be released from his chains.

* * *

**November 15, 1864: Mount Olympus**

Artemis sat idly on her throne, watching the rest of the Olympians. She could see the war taking its toll on all of them. It seemed there wasn't anyone present, aside from Aphrodite, who didn't suffer from near-constant conflicts with their Roman counterparts. Artemis herself could feel Diana always at the ready, preparing to take control when the time was right. Still, this didn't stop them from doing what they were best at: arguing. Artemis glanced around the throne room to find Poseidon bickering with Athena, Hephaestus scowling at Aphrodite, and Hera nagging at Zeus. The remaining gods were obviously nursing headaches (Artemis wasn't sure whether they were from their Roman aspects or the many arguments taking place around them.). As her eyes roamed slowly over the faces in the room, Artemis noticed that Ares was absent. Usually, she would be worried, but she remembered Perseus' fight with him earlier and smirked. It was obvious who won.

As Artemis trained her eyes on her father, her earlier conversation with Perseus came to mind. After his fight with Ares, Perseus had returned to the Hunters' camp and found her to update her on the situation. She in turn had told him what she had learned from Athena, and they had constructed a plan. Obviously, it was important to attend the council meetings whenever possible to keep up with the insanity occurring on Olympus. Since Artemis was on the council, it was her job to attend meetings and gather as much information as possible. Hence, Artemis found herself in her current situation. The more she heard her family and their petty arguments, the more resentment she felt course through her. Not only were they jeopardizing the world with their inane plan to aid Ouranos, but they were also failing to handle the more immediate matter of the wars.

Artemis was about to begin pounding some sense into her family, when Zeus' booming voice echoed through the throne room, "Order!" The chatter slowly hushed as all eyes turned to the King of the Gods. "We have many things to discuss tonight. First things first," Zeus thundered, "I have decided to postpone the operation Ares proposed at the last meeting. Athena has discovered through her research that we must recover all the pieces of Ouranos that have been scattered through the world's oceans before we can hope to revive him. I have spoken to Poseidon, and he has assured me that this task may take centuries at best. Also, it seems Ouranos' awakening, like that of all ancient deities, will cause slight imbalances in nature and the number of monsters roaming the earth. The monsters may have inadvertently aided us in the last Greco-Roman skirmish, but we and our children are currently unable to handle these side effects in our current conditions. Thus, it is in our best interests to put this project aside for the moment. There will be no room for argument." He stared sternly at Aphrodite, who had opened her mouth to object. Artemis sighed inwardly. There was at least one problem that they could avoid for the time being.

Zeus continued, "Instead, we must focus our attention on the wars currently being fought in the mortal and mythological worlds. As you all know, today marked the beginning of Sherman's March to the Sea. This will surely turn the tide of the mortal war in favor of the Union. In this respect, the Greeks have managed to win something over the Romans. However, Camp Half-Blood still is in grave danger. The Romans shall surely attack soon, and we must be ready to defend our stronghold!"

Poseidon scoffed from his throne, "What makes you think we can do anything? Do you remember what happened last time the Romans attacked? Half of us were so crippled by our warring aspects that we could do nothing but watch our children slaughter each other. It's like the Roman Empire's conquest of Greece all over again." A sad murmur of agreement rippled through the assembly of gods.

Zeus looked murderous, "What are you proposing, Brother? That we simply sit back and allow the Romans to win?"

"I like the idea even less than you do," Poseidon snapped, "But it is all we can do in the condition we are in. Look around you. How many of us do you see currently grimacing in pain and massaging our temples? The demigods are not currently engaged in a battle, yet here we are, using most of our energy to wrestle our other aspects into submission. Listen to me when I say that we are useless. Besides, you seem to be forgetting about the Divine Laws. We should not be involved in mortal affairs in the first place. Do you still doubt my advice, Brother?"

Zeus looked furious, but he couldn't seem to argue. "What do you propose we do then?" He demanded harshly.

"We must sit this war out," Poseidon said.

Athena scowled, "You really do have kelp for brains. How many of us actually adhere to all the Divine Laws? It would be much more logical to send the gods who are unaffected by their Roman personalities out to aid the Greeks. There are plenty who can do it."

"Plenty? Who?" Poseidon sneered, "Care to elaborate, Athena?"

Athena shot a withering glare at him and ground out from between her teeth, "There are Aphrodite, Nemesis, and Heracles."

One look at Aphrodite's panic-stricken face easily conveyed her thoughts on Athena's idea.

"Nemesis has declared neutrality," Poseidon moved on to the next god listed.

"And I will not stand for that swine of a man, Heracles, to be within a mile of my Hunters!" Artemis snarled, thinking of Zoe.

"Artemis, be reasonable," Zeus said, "Athena's plan is not bad."

"Father, if you insist on sending Heracles, I will withdraw the aid of my Hunters."

Zeus' brow furrowed, "I believe a god is a much more valuable asset on the battlefield than a band of girls."

Artemis' eyes hardened, "Is that what you really think, _Father_?" She spat out her last word like it was poison in her mouth. "I would choose your next words very carefully."

Zeus seemed to realize his mistake and muttered, "I apologize for my presumption. I would greatly appreciate if the Hunt would contribute their aid." Artemis snorted haughtily and turned away without an answer.

"What about Perseus? Artemis, your Hunters tolerate him, and he has a better grasp on his two aspects than most other gods," Athena suggested, trying to diffuse the building tension.

"I will not answer for Perseus and drag him into a war that has hurt him more than it has hurt any of us combined. If you wish to enlist his aid, you must ask him yourself."

"So be it," Zeus grumbled unhappily, "Lord Perseus, you are called before the Court of Olympus!" He lifted his Master Bolt and fired a shot to the heavens. Within moments, there was a flash of light, and Perseus appeared before Zeus.

Bowing to Artemis with a lopsided grin and giving Zeus no more acknowledgement than a quick dip of the head, the god asked rather lazily, "You called, Milord?"

"Your insolence will not be tolerated!" Zeus thundered angrily. His face was turning a nasty shade of purple as he struggled to hold in his fury.

"Insolence, sir? Whatsoever do you mean?" Perseus asked innocently. He winked discretely to Artemis who couldn't decide whether to smile or glare in disapproval.

Zeus looked like he was about to begin a tirade, but he was cut off by Athena. "Perseus, we called you to request you to aid Camp Half-Blood. When the time comes, help our children to prevail against the Romans."

"And why should I do this?" Perseus snorted, "Is my neutrality not assumed?"

"How are you neutral? You were prepared to defend the camp at the last skirmish all those months ago," Athena accused.

"Was I? I remember going to the Romans to prevent the war in the first place. But that plan obviously failed. Then, I remember bringing Lord Hermes to camp to recover from his struggle with his Roman aspect. I did no fighting, and I did not ever intend to fight."

Athena opened her mouth to continue arguing, but a flash of red suddenly appeared in Ares' throne, gathering the gods' attention. The light faded to reveal a murderous Ares, who immediately stood up and stalked toward Perseus at the center of the room.

"Ares, what is the meaning of this?" Zeus asked, frustrated that their meeting was interrupted.

Ares gestured wildly to Perseus and roared for the world to hear, "Father, this god has committed treason against Olympus!"

The silence that followed was suffocating as each god attempted to process what Ares had just declared. Finally, Zeus gathered his wits enough to say, "Ares, that is a serious accusation. Explain yourself."

"This _minor god _attacked me today. A _minor god _attacked an _Olympian_. He also refused to comply with our alliance with Ouranos, threatening war with Olympus if we follow through. Then, he attacked me. Father, Perseus' actions must be punished!" Ares caught Perseus' eye discretely and smiled smugly.

Artemis stood up in the blink of an eye, "Idiot! Why would Perseus-?"

"Ares, is that true?" Zeus interrupted, electricity crackling dangerously in the air around him. Ares nodded solemnly.

Perseus' eyes flashed red, "I did no such thing! I would never betray the gods!"

"Then explain why you attacked me for no reason, chained me, then refused to release me?" Ares shouted.

Zeus' face darkened as his anger rolled off him in waves, "Forget speaking of waging war against the gods. You, a minor god, dared to attack an Olympian. Perseus, you are hereby banished from Olympus! Hermes, take him to Delos. He is to remain there for all eternity!"

Hermes moved to get up, but Perseus snarled, "I think not! First you accuse me of nonexistent treason. Then you fail to offer an unbiased and complete trial! Now, you expect me to go quietly to spend eternity on some island! I will not accept this. You Olympians have ever only used others for your personal gain. I refuse to bend to your whims any longer. From this day onward, I am finished with you and your foolishness. If you wish to destroy yourselves, be my guest. I am done. I will no longer associate myself with you. This is goodbye." Perseus' eyes roved darkly around the room, finally stopping to rest on Artemis. His gaze softened, and he attempted to convey all his regrets and sadness in that one look. Before Artemis could so much as blink, Perseus was gone, and the throne room was plunged into silence once more.

Artemis stood briskly, attempting to suppress the tears of anger that threaten to spill forth, and glared upon each and every god assembled there. "You have no idea what you have just done. You may well have condemned us all." With that ominous message, Artemis followed Perseus out in a flash of silver.

* * *

**Boom! There it is! Hopefully it's not too much of a cliff-hanger to end you guys on. Hope you liked it, and thank you again for all the support! **


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